Sunset ^beta

Chapter Text

“The remnants of Project Stigma will also be under your dominion… you will become the true Goddess of Earth.”

There was no hesitation when the girl shook her head. “I have no interest in that.”

“...Is this it?”

“Yeah, this is it. With the Cocoon as witness, you shall take over and protect the complete Authority of Finality.” There was the slightest relaxation in the tight lines around the man’s eyes. “...This will do.”

“Then what about you?”

“It’s time for me to go. To where they are.” His lips curved upwards ever so slightly at the look on the girl’s face. “No need to feel regretful. This is also my wish. Now, I can finally tell them with pride…” He paused just long enough to take a deep, steadying breath. “‘Everyone, sorry to have kept you waiting.’” His pools of sky blue which had maintained such coldness, such melancholy, and such calculated determination for more ages than anyone else could count… finally brightened with the faintest shine of relief as he faded into the void.

“Goodbye, Kiana idiotka.” The girl kept her back turned to her friend as she raised her hand in a lighthearted, casual wave.

As if she couldn’t sense the tears her best friend struggled to blink away.

“Mei-senpai.” So much she wanted to say, (“I love you.”) and yet the words caught in her throat (“I’ll miss you.”). Scratching and burning as they attempted to escape and yet they could not, (“You are part of the beauty I’m fighting for and so much more.”) trapping her in quiet torture.

“Kiana…”

After everything they’ve been through, the women could read each other like an open book. Standing at this precipice, they gazed deeply into each other's eyes. Both women's expressions bore nothing but a loving understanding. A silent agreement that this would not be the end. And both their eyes shone with unshed tears. Each knew there were emotions swimming behind those shining Herrscher eyes that simply could not be put into words. Was it fear? A dark anxiety eating away within that these things would not be enough? That the woman before them would not be able to understand the intense, all consuming emotion held close to their hearts?

No.

It was simply that there was no need for these things to be emptied for both to see. They already knew. Both women felt small smiles grow. A wave of longing tinged with the bittersweetness of upcoming parting washed over them.

"I promised we would go home together… But now…" Mei's eyes shimmered with moisture, nearly falling down her cheeks as she grimaced.

The corners of the other woman's eyes crinkled as she smiled. Wide. Genuine. Open. Loving. But also sad. Melancholic. And even a hint of bitterness. So much swirled within that bright smile Mei almost couldn't bear to look. Yet remain looking she did, for she would never turn her gaze away from the woman that was her whole world. 

"Don't worry, Mei! I'll be back before you know it! And even if I'm not on Earth, we can still talk every night! But if you miss me too much I guess you'll just have to come up and visit me!" The woman winked and stuck out her tongue playfully.

Raiden Mei couldn't hold back the chuckle that bubbled up from her chest. In a sudden burst of courage she reached out. Hand sliding across and cupping the back of a head of white hair, the other on her shoulder, both pulling the woman closer. No sensation mattered more to her in that moment than the blissful feeling of their lips against each other and the arms she felt encircling her. Herrschers did not need to breathe, and Mei took full advantage of this for what little time she had left. When the rumbling of the train tracks behind them pulled them back to reality, their eyes met for one last time. 

"I love you… Kiana Kaslana"

A gasp tore itself from her throat as the girl shot up from her bed. The adrenaline slowly draining from her system made the pounding of her heart sound like cannon shots in her ears. The name on the tip of her tongue slipped free without a sound and faded into the stale, recycled air of the airtight room. Eight years later… and she still couldn't escape the memories that ended her old life. After all they went through, she had shouldered the world's burdens yet again. And while they all agreed it had been necessary, that would not erase the drowning sadness behind their eyes as they said their goodbyes. Sure every once in a while they would find free time to spend a few days with her on the moon, but it simply wasn't the same as being on Earth with them.

Kiana was quite aware of this. Most of the time she wished she wasn't.

Her ability to meet with Mei and Bronya through their Herrscher link had dwindled to the point of nothingness over the years. Her reward for all her hard work. Honkai levels on earth had steadily dropped due to her constant diligence in drawing it all back to her, the planet's new Goddess of Honkai. All it cost her was one of the last few links she had with her loved one. She could still speak to them in their dreams, sure. But it just wasn't the same as being able to visit Mei through their cores and spend the night catching up in each other's arms. Or actually physically having them with her on the moon. It was in these moments of weakness that she'd feel the gentle nudge of curiosity from the Cocoon. It wasn't so much hearing the Cocoon ask anything as it was simply knowing the question it had and the feelings behind it. Such were the benefits of being tied so intimately with it as the Herrscher of Finality, she supposed.

Curiosity mixed with no small amount of worry probed at her distraught mind. It felt almost like a worried puppy gently pawing at her side. For all its mind boggling power, the progenitor of all Honkai really acted like a child sometimes. The thought managed to bring a small smile to her face. Deciding she'd had enough of trying to sleep like a normal human for now, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and gently pushed the knowledge that she would be fine in time to the Cocoon. It seemed to accept this answer and she felt its presence return to a steady hum of power in the back of her mind. As the Herrscher of Finality, she didn't actually need sleep. But if she was honest, sometimes she simply missed it. Didn't hurt that it also helped pass the time.

Its gaze was still on her, but the cocoon no longer actively strayed into her consciousness. After all these years on the moon managing vast amounts of Honkai energy and communicating with the Cocoon daily they were… something like friends. It was a strange relationship considering the Cocoon- while being its own entity- was also a mirror of herself. They were two sides of the same coin, as Bronya had said. A small huff of annoyance made her thoughts on such higher dimensional shenanigans known. But still, they were rather amicable considering all the things its power had done to her planet.

Her planet?

Kiana shook the thought from her head. She really needed to stop letting herself think like that.

With a mere thought, her Herrscher clothes manifested upon her body in a swirl of amethyst light. "Well, time to get the day started I suppose." She murmured to herself. A gentle nudge of encouragement from the Cocoon helped her push herself forward and out the door. Einstein and Tesla had recently returned to Earth on important business so it was just her and the few teams of scientists researching the old ruins that dotted the stellar body's surface. Most of them tended to stay away from her, what with the maelstrom of Honkai Energy she contained and was constantly pulling into herself. Unless they wanted to run some experiments with the last living Herrscher, of course.

Kiana sighed, it was gonna be another boring day.

With nothing better to do, now that her job of absorbing Honkai Energy from Earth was basically second nature to her now, she used those same powers to gently stretch her senses towards the planet before her. Tendrils of invisible Honkai Energy stretching towards Earth and a mastery of her god-like senses extending through imaginary space allowed her to sense things much more clearly and somewhat check up on her friends and loved ones. Even if it was much more vague than a video call, unless she wanted to breach their local dimensional space and cause a Honkai Eruption. The experience briefly brought a memory to the forefront of her mind. When she'd first discovered she could do this she'd been… a bit overeager to be able to feel that Mei was okay while they were seperated. The Doctors had quickly arrived to scold her for causing spikes of Honkai energy across the planet wherever she focused her- or the Cocoon's technically- senses. Now though, she had a much finer control over how and where she spread Honkai Energy to allow her to keep watch over those closest to her. At most she would be causing a temporary, barely noticeable bump in local Honkai levels. Kiana smiled softly. She couldn't help the small swell of pride within her chest at how much her control over the powers of Finality had improved over the years. The benefit of having nothing else to do most days but absorb Honkai energy and experiment with her powers. For instance, she could check up on her friends nearly subconsciously while she went about her day now.

Extending out her tendrils of consciousness while she walked, she allowed the waves of Honkai energy to gently lap against the edge of the Earth's biosphere. Small tendrils extending from the ripples of her power guiding her senses to those she watched over. 

Bronya was hard at work it seemed. Kiana could sense the mental exhaustion radiating from the woman, however it was also mixed with no small amount of pride and satisfaction. Kiana smiled. Maybe next time her best friend visited she'd be getting a new demo for Arahato? She could sense Seele nearby as well. Kiana grinned, Bronya was in good hands, and that was enough for her.

Theresa felt much the same, she was tired, a small shimmering of annoyance tapping against Kiana's consciousness. The Overseer was surely stuck at a desk of paperwork when she'd much rather be drinking a cup of bitter melon juice. Ugh. Kiana reflexively shuddered in disgust. How her Aunt could drink that stuff would forever be beyond her.

It was night wherever Dudu and Rita were. She could feel the couple together, their emotions much more level, giving her an almost muted feeling as they slumbered away. Maybe she could talk to her sister's dreams later? Shicksal's strongest Valkyrie rarely found time off to visit the moon. She missed her sister. Kiana pulled away before the current of sadness that poured from her heart could accidentally spill over into her connection to Bianka. 

Ah, Siegfried… her spirits lifted as she felt the joyous laughter her father held in his heart. She could almost hear it herself. He must be at a bar, she could feel him struggling to think straight, his thoughts slow and meandering just as much as they were beaming with enjoyment of the moment. Kiana shook her head fondly. "You're gonna have one nasty hangover, Old Man." She murmured to herself.

Kiana stepped out into New Atra and found herself gazing up at the husk of the former Finality. At the same time she gently pressed her consciousness against that of a certain Herrscher of Sentience. Senti acknowledged her warmly for a split second before her pride caught up and she batted Kiana away in annoyance. Kiana huffed softly in amusement, Senti hadn't changed much when it came to other people touching her mind. But at least it was enough for Kiana to get the sense she was alright. As the only person who was capable of noticing her little checkups, that was usually all she got from the Herrscher.

Fu Hua was… rather stressed out actually. Kiana frowned. She couldn't tell much more, but it was plain for her to see the woman's emotions were a frayed mess. Maybe when she visited Mei's dreams she should ask her to take Fu Hua out for a break…

Speaking of Mei. Kiana's focus instantly snapped over to the comforting and familiar presence that was Raiden Mei. Mei was… melancholic. Yet also simmering with determination and focus. Maybe she was out on a mission? The melancholy, at least, was  usual around this time, if Kiana was guessing Earth's time correctly. From what the others told her, Mei would spend an hour or two each night gazing up at the moon. Up at her . Kiana's heart clenched with longing, the image of a saddened Mei almost too much for her to bear. She wanted to run to her. Jump back to Earth right this instant to wipe that frown off her face and once again fill her heart with joyous laughter. But she couldn't. Not… not yet. The doctors had said she could return soon, but Earth still had a 1% ambient Honkai level and she needed that number to be Zero before she could return. Kiana nearly growled in frustration at the resurfaced memory. She reluctantly pulled her senses back from the planet before her frustration caused any unwanted Honkai spikes.

Every day she spent knowing Mei suffered for their separation was torture. 

Her family hadn't wanted to tell her how badly Mei's mental health plummeted some days. But there were simply some things you couldn't hide from the Goddess of Honkai. Her and Mei were simply too intimately connected, even without Mei's Herrscher Core. Her eyes shifted away from the husk as the telltale brush of an approaching human lit up her senses. Partly from her expert spatial awareness from the authority of the Void, and partly because the Cocoon was still similar to an excited puppy when it came to interacting with humans. Eight years wasn’t very long for a being that lived outside time, after all.

"Um, Miss Kaslana?"

Kiana turned a bright smile on a rather timid looking scientist who stood a good two meters away from her while her co-workers stood in a circle further back by one of the ruined walls. Even at a glance, they were doing a terrible job of hiding the fact they were keeping a nervous eye on the two women. Kiana had to fight to keep her smile from dipping when she saw the Honkai radiation neutralizers clenched carefully in their hands.

"Um, sorry lady, is something wrong?" Kiana forced a chuckle and scratched the back of her head sheepishly. 

The scientists' eyes darted around, following the flows of starry amethyst energy that enveloped the Herrscher’s extremeties and shifted like a window into another dimension on the underside of her dress. "It's just… you've been standing there staring at the husk of Finality for almost an hour now. Are you... alright?"

Kiana beamed at the young woman. "I'm alright! Just takes a lot of my attention sometimes managing uh…", she moved her hands up and down, gesturing at her body and the stellar body they stood on, "All of this." She pointed to Earth hanging in the starfield above them. "And the rest of the Honkai on that."

The woman nodded slowly. "Makes sense. I-I'm sure it's an unbelievable burden.."

"Pfft, naaahhh," Kiana waved her hand in a casual dismissal. "It's easy now that I've had almost a decade to get used to it. No need to worry about me so much!" She grinned.

The scientist nodded, turning away as her purpose had been fulfilled. "Alright, that's good Miss Kaslana."

"Ehhhh no need for the Miss stuff, lady, just call me Kiana."

She nodded. "Okay… Kiana." A small smile flitted across her features. Though the next second it morphed into a small frown. "Huh, you don't know my name? My seniors insisted you would instantly know me."

Kiana grimaced, "Well I may have kinda… read people's minds when I talked to them… But that was years ago! And mostly on accident! I was still learning how to control all my powers, I wasn't trying to like, invade people's privacy like a creep or anything!"

The woman went through several emotions over the span of the Herrscher's rambling. Her expression quickly flicked from surprise, to uncomfortable, to understanding, and lastly, a giggle fell from her lips. "Well I suppose as long as you weren't doing it on purpose. I can see why the other teams are rather enamored with you. It sounds like you have a rather vast collection of abilities."

Kiana turned her head away as heat rushed to her cheeks. "Ehehe, it's nothing… I'm the same Kiana as ever just… a bit more than human nowadays."

The woman pursed her lips and nodded in agreement. "I've got to get back to work, but it was nice having this little chat with the resident Herrscher." The two nodded their goodbyes, Kiana's grin wavering just slightly. The resident Herrscher. Was that really all she was to these people? As she watched the woman rejoin her colleagues and throw studious glances back her direction, the girl couldn't help but wonder.

Kiana quickly shook those thoughts away. Even if they were true, it didn't matter. She still had a job to finish. Stepping back onto the round platform stretching out over the final crater, Kiana drew on her powers to manifest her Honkai wings back at her sides. Her dual white winds were segmented into four organic looking rounded protrusions tapering down into the point where all four met. It had always made Kiana think of some kind of strange skeletal fish. With nary a word she turned her back to the husk and allowed herself to fall backwards off the edge, much to the horror of the nearby scientists. She couldn't help the grin that bloomed on her face at their increasingly horrified expressions as she fell. Seconds after entering freefall, she flipped backwards and ignited the Honkai energy built up in the wings. Though they floated at her sides and sometimes even orbited her as if they had a mind of their own, they were still part of her and as such, their thrust affected her as one would expect anything else attached to the human body. From the three channels created between the four "feathers" of the wings, her energy erupted into beautiful ribbons of otherworldly purple and pink energy.

With a whoop of joy, the woman rocketed back out of the crater on a trail of starry amethyst fire.

After having her little joyride (under the atmospheric dome of course, she doesn't wanna make people too worried) Kiana was finally entered into the main complex she'd called home for the last eight years. Entering the room converted into a decently sized apartment for her, the Herrscher settled down comfortably on a meditation mat Fu Hua had given her. That had been nearly seven years ago now, hadn't it? It's position gave her the best view, in front of a big floor-to-ceiling window in her lounge that looked out across New Atra and the moon's surface with Earth hanging in the inky blackness beyond the horizon. It was here that she could really settle down to focus on safely siphoning the remaining Honkai Energy from Earth. There may be only 1% left, but 1% on an entire planet was still a lot of work for one woman.

Fortunately, Kiana had pretty much perfected her method by now.

She once again stretched her awareness out towards the shining blue planet before her. Like an invisible hand reaching across the vast emptiness of space, she grasped onto the rippling remains of Honkai energy and wrapped it around her "fingers" like so much string. Now came the part she needed to really concentrate on. Bit by bit, she unraveled it from around the planet. Bit by bit, she pulled it back across all 384,400 kilometers of empty space and wound it tightly around herself. To anyone that might've had a mind to attempt to measure this process with scientific instruments, they would be shocked at the near instant stream of large amounts of Honkai energy suddenly shooting from the Earth to the Moon. But for Kiana, this was a painstakingly slow process. Every minute twitch of the "strings" in her hands, every distraction, could mean possible Honkai beast outbreaks or spikes of Honkai Radiation. And it was up to her to make sure that didn't happen. She had promised the Doctors, Theresa, and everyone else on Earth that she would free them from Honkai.

And if nothing else, a Kaslana doesn't break her promises.

5 hours later and an exhausted Kiana collapsed onto her couch. Sweat dripped down her features and stuck strands of hair all down the back of her neck and back where her top had been practically soaked through. A tired hand stretched out and the laws of gravity were casually broken as a towel was pulled to Kiana's hand.

The last Herrscher groaned in exhaustion. Pushing herself up from her prone position seemed- in the moment- to be a task beyond even the mighty Atlas of Greek mythology. Kiana groaned again. The exhaustion might have been prevented even just slightly if she hadn't insisted on using her powers to keep tabs on Mei even as she siphoned more Honkai Energy off the planet. Even now she instinctively maintained a thin tendril of power reaching back to Earth. Just strong enough to have Mei's presence be a constant in the back of her mind and for her to be able to feel any spike of emotions from her loved one. Maybe instead of simply talking in her dreams like the voice of God she could help Mei have good dreams if she had a bad day? She'd never actually tried that before. She was a bit hesitant to manipulate minds in any way but surely Mei would understand she's trying to help? It would probably be better to ask the next time her lover visits the moon.

Kiana released a deep sigh into the cloth as she wiped off beads of sweat. This 1% felt like it was taking an eternity, she'd been at this last little obstacle for months now and she'd barely gotten it down to 0.6% according to the sensors the Doctor's left for her use. It was really annoying. She had half a mind to-

A sudden overwhelming terror gripped her heart like a vice and a frantic cry tore itself from her throat as the girl tumbled from the couch. This was quickly followed by a blinding pain that felt like nothing less than a sword through her gut. She could feel the Cocoon attempting to lash out through her at whatever it was hurting her and was forced to divide her attention to keep it at bay, lest it inadvertently target Mei. The living space howled with the sound of the most powerful being in the solar system retching and pounding the floor with her fist as she fought against the sensations washing over her like a tidal wave. The wind picked up and swirled chaotically through the room as her powers instinctively manifested to protect her. Out of desperation, she cut herself off from her surroundings and curled in on herself. Curiously, the instant she broke that last thread that kept her tied to Earth, she could feel nothing but relief. The swirling chaos disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving Kiana curled up in her own sweat and tears amidst her tattered room. Teeth met tongue and a small trickle of crimson seeped from the corner of her lips in a desperate attempt to fight back the urge to dry heave.

After a few minutes of recovery Kiana groaned around the taste of iron in her mouth. "What the fuck was that?" She wheezed. With another pained moan she rolled onto her back and tilted her head upwards towards the windows, taking what solace she could in the faint sensation of the sun's rays. This also brought a certain blue planet into her vision. The hanging blue gem almost immediately brought a terrible realization to the Herrscher. Her blood ran so cold one might be forgiven to think she had started taking after the first Kaslana.

"MEI!"

Ignoring the lingering pains- Mei's pain- the Herrscher launched herself to her feet and jumped into a void portal that took her just outside the habitable dome of the ruins. She was no longer thinking, consumed by the all encompassing need to get to the woman now . Her head was spinning, her fear for the woman's safety spiraling down, down, down. Mei needed to be okay. Mei had to be okay. She felt sick again recalling her recent torment. She had never felt backlash like that before and so was unprepared when she felt it both through Mei and with her own body. She had basically experienced the sensations twofold. But that could not deter the utterly frantic woman from her mission. She could feel a startled group of scientists calling out to her and scrambling to try and get proper equipment to try and halt her, but they could never make it in time. She was locked onto Mei's location with a frighteningly intense focus. This time, she simply used the reflection of the Cocoon instead of connecting herself to Mei directly. And without nearly as many theatrics as earlier, she summoned her wings and launched herself from the moon's surface nearly faster than the eye could see. So great was this thrust that it would forever mark the scarred surface of the moon with another cracked and broken crater. A testament to the desperation of the girl now flying towards the earth at breakneck speeds.

"SHE WHAT?!" Theresa screeched at the comms panel. The scientist on the other end grimaced and reluctantly repeated himself at a slightly slower tempo.

"K-Kiana Kaslana left the moon. She was last seen launching herself towards the Earth."

Theresa let out a humorless, exaggerated chuckle that morphed into a loud groan of exasperation part way through as she drew her hands down her face in a display of absolute exhaustion. "What is my idiot niece doing?"

"Uh, Madame Overseer?"

"Yes?" Theresa groaned.

The Valkyrie now standing in the doorway to Theresa's office winced. "Uh, Ma'am, we just received a report that Raiden Mei's Valkyrie Squad was ambushed. They've escaped temporarily, one of her students contacted us, but Raiden Mei was seriously injured."

There was a small thump as Theresa's forehead met her desk. Suddenly it all made sense. Her fingers wearily typed away at her comm terminal. "Remind me to apologize to Rita for this later." She said as her finger descended on the holographic button labeled 'call'.

Chapter Text

Raiden Mei was- to put it simply- not having a good time. 

Night had fallen and yet they could not rest. The Valkyrie had one arm held against her side where she maintained constant pressure against a rather nasty stab wound. They had first aid equipment, but if they slowed down enough to apply it, their ambushers would surely find them. However if they didn't, all this exertion would no doubt lead to her slow demise as her life blood seeped from around her fingers to the thunderous beat of her heart. The desolate canyon they had been escorting important Shicksal supplies through certainly offered places to hide. The question was, for how long? The echoes of footsteps, shouts, and the rumble of vehicles attempting to maneuver deeper into the canyon continued to chase after them.

The mawing darkness of a cave with impressive enough depth called for them ahead. Deciding it was as good as they would get, Mei's students quickly dragged her inside. The former herrscher's pain made itself known as a hiss of air squeezing between her teeth as they carefully set her down.

"Eve, what are we going to do?" Cried the shorter girl. She was browner of skin compared to her companion, clad in a short sleeved shirt and jean shorts with a yellow jacket tied around her waist. Running shoes protected her feet from sharp rocks possibly hidden in the dark. She seemed to be regretting her choice of attire, wincing as she knelt down and her scraped and bloody knees pressed against the rock. She hastily settled the massive hovering robotic gauntlets that followed her arm movements against the wall. Her golden eyes and white hair whipped about frantically. "You still have the first aid kit, right?!"

Her paler, dark haired companion was dressed in a simple t-shirt and black tradesman pants, complete with extra pockets (though Eve would vehemently defend herself if one dared to call them cargo pants). The ends of said pants were tucked haphazardly into the girl's combat boots. Over this she wore a long white coat, it's tails trailing to halfway down her calves and it's inner lining colored a stark crimson. Its hood rested agains her shoulder blades along with a custom Valkyrie longsword equipped for unleashing fire both along and from the blade. She was battered like her companion, but neither had suffered wounds such as their teacher did in her effort to protect them. Now it was their turn to take care of her. The girl nodded. "Carole, stop shouting. You'll give us away."

Carole immediately slammed both her hands against her mouth. "Sorry!" She whispered.

Not for the first time, Mei desperately longed for the rapid healing factor she had as a Herrscher. The antiseptic and bandages were quick to apply with how torn up her battlesuit had become in the fighting.  Her rather expensive white jacket had been ruined. Multiple lacerations left strips of fabric hanging, not to mention the puncture wound in her side. The feather decoration on her lapel was mostly gone thanks to a bullet grazing her, and her tights had been torn both by the bullets she had taken to her left leg as well as them stumbling across the rocks in the dark. Her white thick heeled heels had certainly seen better days. Now Mei wasn't what one would call a vain woman. However, the jacket and feathered decorations that adorned her outfit had been gifts from an outing with her good friend Bronya, and she had grown rather attached to them. A saddening, if rather superficial loss. Soon enough she was sporting a partially wrapped torso with smaller wraps around her left thigh, blood already seeping into the bandages. Now if only they had water to clean all the blood off her hand. Instead, she settled for keeping her electrified Katana- still sheathed- close to her chest. 

No sooner had they settled down did the rumble of footsteps echo down the cave and beams of flashlights illuminate their hastily found shelter to blind the weary fighters.

"Game's over Valkyries! Come out with your hands up!"

Mei sighed, “This was expected, but they showed up a bit sooner than I would’ve liked.”

With Eve’s help, Mei limped her way back out of the cave with Carol fearfully trailing along just behind them, rocket powered gauntlets at the ready. The flashlights in their faces made it hard to say for sure, but there must have been at least a few dozen Mercenaries waiting for them. No doubt the rest of the company was nearby just in case. A challenge for a Valkyrie- even one of her skills- but a doable challenge. At least if she hadn’t already been injured. Carole tentatively held her hands up, as the only one with both her hands free.

She used her head to gesture to her students. “Drop your weapons.” She grunted. She dutifully threw her katana to the ground, followed by the heavy clank of Carole’s gauntlets and Eve’s broadsword onto the hard rock.

“Well well, we’ve finally caught up to you, Raiden Mei.” A woman clad in tactical gear sauntered to the front of the formation, pistol pointed squarely at the veteran Valkyrie. Her face was just as obscured as her body behind her helmet. “Can’t give us the slip with wounds like that I reckon.” Her smirk practically shone in her voice.

Mei huffed. She didn’t know the woman or her mercenaries, which only made it more annoying- and alarming- that they had strategies for taking out Valkyries. To surprise the former Herrscher of Thunder on the battlefield was something few managed to accomplish. Yet this woman had managed to turn her whole mission into a failure. “Could I convince you to let my students go?”

The woman tilted her head in mock sympathy. “Sorry princess, but no. Our orders are to capture or kill the Valkyries escorting the target.” She eyed the shifting stances of said students. “Now I don’t really like killing kids, but if any of you try to fight back then your head goes pop.” She bounced her gun in imitation of a shot for emphasis. “Now just stay nice and obedient and this’ll be over soon enough.” The woman turned around and began barking orders to her soldiers. Several positioned themselves behind the trio and prodded them towards the arriving trucks at gunpoint. A few others collected their weapons. “Alright, lets get the Valkyries back to the transports and get the hell out of he- huh?” A rustle of confusion rippled through the collected mercenaries. The trio of warriors paused, their eyes meeting in their own confusion as the prodding guns hesitated.

“Do you hear that?”

“What is that?”

“Sir, is it just me or is the moon turning pink?”

“What the fuck are you talking abo- … What?”

Everyone nearby immediately snapped their eyes to the sky. True to the man’s words, those gathered in that small canyon could only stare upwards in astonishment as the usual silver light of the moon was nowhere to be seen. Instead a pink tinted haze seemed to have overtaken the Earth’s most important celestial body. The thought that maybe she was beginning to hallucinate from blood loss briefly crossed Mei’s mind. The only reason something like that would happen to the moon is…

“Kiana…” Mei whispered, almost desperately.

Carole and Eve chanced a glance at their teacher. Instead of worry they found the woman’s face practically glowing with relief, only a hint of apprehension showing in the tightness around her eyes. Their gazes fell to each other as Mei’s words slowly began to register. “The Moon Goddess?!”

The gathered humans continued to stand in confusion and wonderment as a low rumble began rolling through the sky.

Mei smiled. “You could say that.”

The rumble began increasing in pitch until it became more of a whine than anything else. The moon seemed to glow even brighter.

“Carol, Eve, get behind something solid.” A small swell of pride filled her chest as she watched her students spun around along with her as all three punched their captors in the throat and dove towards the nearby boulders. 

The nearby mercenaries spun on them but before they could do anything, the mercenary leader’s voice suddenly boomed throughout the space, “FUCKING SCATTER!”

But she was too late.

The whine grew to a fever pitch until the center of the area suddenly exploded. Something had just dropped from the sky and completely obliterated everything nearby in a searing pink fire. Amidst the screams and frantic attempt to organize from the mercenaries still standing a new problem for them appeared. As the smoke began to clear, a silhouette appeared. Human. Just a young girl in her late twenties. Dressed in what looked like a cross between a wedding dress and some kind of princess-like garb complete with a tiara atop her ponytail. However her cerulean irises were split by a four pointed pink star in each eye that seemed to hold a fathomless depth behind them, glowing brightly with power. Two angular shapes half her size floated on either side of her that looked like tattered wings. In the next instant the wings ignited in amethyst fire, their bulging spines alighting into three bursts of energy arranged vertically on each wing with the middle trails much longer and more elegantly flowing than the others. Their otherworldly beauty could not be lost on any that looked upon them. The smoke now completely dissipating, they could clearly see the strange stars held within the celestial flames. Even as they moved the pinpricks of light did not. It was like the flames burned away a barrier to a sight regular mortals were not supposed to see. A beautiful otherworldly sky that was almost painful in its beauty. 

Any mercenary who gazed upon the celestial fires felt a heaviness settle over their minds. A pressure certainly painful in its intensity, as if hands were trying to crush their skulls between their palms. If one looked closely into the starry currents contained within the wings and the girl’s flowing skirt waving in a nonexistent wind their poor minds may occasionally catch a glimpse of…it. Something ancient, incomprehensibly powerful, impossibly alien. Looking right back at them. And when they looked up and met the pink starred eyes glaring at them, they could only come to the horrible realization that it was here . And it was angry . The flows of celestial fire embracing the girl was disorientating at best and- at worst- made some of the mercenaries drop to the floor as their minds failed to truly understand the thing staring back at them through the elegantly flowing ribbons of energy. She lifted her hand, her fingers positioned in preparation for a snap.

“W-what are you waiting for? Shoot her!”

Those who could move fearfully squeezed their triggers and a hail of bullets flew towards the terrifying woman. One might expect a normal human to run, dodge, anything that would remove them from the paths of oncoming lead. A reasonable reaction. For a human. Instead the woman’s glare only intensified. There was the sharp sound of fingers snapping the instant before the bullets flew and the next moment she simply wasn’t there. Bullets pierced and ricocheted off of rock and stone in a hail of death that pathetically missed a mark that had not noticeably twitched a single muscle. That same instant the white-haired woman appeared on the other side of the wall of bullets, her sword piercing straight through one of the mercs. Armor plating that had given even Mei trouble was torn to shreds, useless against a blade manifested by the power of the Herrscher of Finality. Helmets crumpled under the force of the bark of the Herrscher’s returned gunfire from her double barreled Honkai pistol. Flashlights frantically attempted to follow the girl as she dashed around like a deadly pink comet. Striking down merc after merc, she displayed no concern or even care in general for the bullets flying in her direction. Pitch black portals rimmed in amethyst appeared in the blink of an eye around her body no matter which direction the bullets flew from. The burning metal simply disappeared into the void, leaving the woman completely unscathed as she continued her systematic destruction of the mercenary company around her. The woman easily dashed and portaled herself through their formations, bouncing a ball of pure Honkai energy like a ping pong through their lines before detonating it with a pistol shot, utterly destroying their vehicles. As regular humans they simply stood no chance.

From their cover, Mei, Eve, and Carol simply waited and watched the utter destruction unleashed by the final Herrscher. The one the media had dubbed the “Moon Goddess” after Honkai levels had miraculously dropped ever since her appearance. Mei’s face was impassive, eyes tracking the white-clad woman to the best of their ability. Eve and Carol stared in wide eyed astonishment, the young women unsure if they should be amazed or horrified at the ease with which the woman decimated the people that had nearly ended them. Only ten seconds later they were down to just their commander and a handful of mercs still standing back to back in an attempt to cover all angles. It was- of course- futile. As they continued to fire at any flash of white they could see in the darkness the woman simply spun out of the way and launched herself into the air. As she reached the apex of her leap, she allowed the momentum to turn her upside down. Silhouetted against the light of the moon, her eyes glittered like precious gems. With a snap of her arms to the side her wings ignited into six brilliant plumes of that frightening celestial energy.

In that moment, all Mei could think was that she appeared as an angel from her dreams. Descended from heaven to save her from her torment. Igniting the waves of Honkai energy, Kiana extended her leg and crashed down upon the last remaining foes wreathed in otherworldly flames. So devastating was her attack that even Mei was startled as telltale cracks appeared in the air like breaking glass. A sign Kiana had decimated the area so completely even their very dimension was crumbling under her assault. When the dust cleared, as the cracks in reality slowly mended and disappeared, naught was left of the last group of mercenaries but scattered ashes. Any others were either dead or incapacitated. All in all, it took a mere fifteen seconds for the woman to utterly destroy the entire company. A sudden quiet descended upon them, the silence heavy and deafening. The clacks of rubble and debris falling to the floor and settling into place seemed so loud it was almost painful in this new silence. The white-clad girl turned back and forth, eyes snapping to and fro on alert for any more unwanted presences. When none reared their head either visually or in her other senses, the weapons disappeared from her hands in a glitter of golden light. The starry patterns in her flames and clothing shifted subtly and the pressure that had built against the minds of surrounding mere mortals instantly dissipated.

Now confident she could face the woman safely, Mei gestured for her students to help her up. She managed to stumble to her feet with only a small grimace. Carole and Eve spoke in hushed whispers. “We’re going out there?! What if she thinks we’re with them?!”

“Carole, don’t be a dumbass.”

“Eve! Don’t be rude.” Mei frowned in disapproval to which the girl cringed apologetically. “She’s not gonna think that Carole. Besides, she’s known we’re here all along.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Hidden from them, the woman standing amidst the remains of the chaos of her own creation smiled gleefully. Her back still turned to them, she lifted her head. “Not to worry! Kiana the knight is here to save Mei the princess!” She spun, a bright smile on her face and her hands resting on her hips as she struck a little pose. Her eyes were locked onto the violet ones approaching her. Moving forward, she met them halfway. Her smile remained, though her eyes tightened at the sight of the woman limping towards her. Her cerulean and pink irises shimmered with worry and even... slight hesitation “It’s been a while… Mei-senpai.”

Ignoring the astonished looks from the girls on either side of her, Mei returned a loving smile. “Kiana-chan, it seems you’ve come to my rescue once again.”

Kiana’s shoulders sagged a bit as the tension drained from her muscles. The two were quiet for a moment. And then a single laugh rang out. And then another. And soon both women were laughing together, Kiana bent over from her full bellied laughter. Mei- though more reserved- still held an immeasurable amount of joy in the creases of her skin as a smile stretched across her face and an irrepressible elation rushed through her. Her arm quickly left Eve’s shoulders and the woman launched herself into the arms of her knight.

"M-mei! Don't move so suddenly! Your wound…"

Mei's arms only tightened around the Herrscher. "Kiana, please just shut up and hug me." The breath of her words caressed Kiana's skin like an embrace all their own as the taller woman buried her face against the crook of her neck.

For a moment, the woman hesitated, as if unsure whether her embrace would harm the woman or not. But eventually her desire to hold her most important person won out and armored, Honkai shrouded hands pressed against the taller girl's back and held tight.

Kiana's next breath came as a shuddering sigh. "I missed you so much. It's been a while since anyone visited." Her eyes screwed shut. If she squeezed hard enough she wouldn't cry, right?

Mei nuzzled their cheeks together and smiled against the wet droplets moistening her skin. "I missed you too."

There they stood. The princess and the knight. Origin and Finality. The beginning and the end, reunited on Earth at last. It seemed as if all the world had halted for the two women. For that moment, all that mattered was the warmth of the woman in their arms, the feeling of the muscles in their arms flexing as they held each other close. And eventually… the meeting of their lips in a burst of passion that said nothing less than 'With you, I am home'.

Gently, Kiana slid her hand downwards. Her calloused fingers softly brushed over the firmer texture of bandages. Without releasing Mei's lips, she carefully pressed against the slightly bloodied material, a soft glow emanating from her palm. The sensation unfortunately caused Mei to break away with a small gasp and a soft whine of disappointment from Kiana.

"Kiana, you…?" the question lingered in her eyes.

Kiana grinned. "I have every herrscher ability now, remember? That includes the Herrscher of Death's ability to heal. Might wanna take the bandages off so the bullets can come out." Movement in the corner of her eye drew her eyes away from Mei for the first time since they had reuinited. Over to the two awestruck girls standing a short distance away.

"Y-you're…" One began.

"The Moon Goddess." The other finished.

Kiana rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Mei did you tell them that?"

The woman looked up from where she was unwinding the bandages from her thigh. "No, the world started calling you that after enough people remembered the message you put in everyone's heads right before you started your mission on the moon."

"Ah… that…" Kiana scratched her cheek with a finger and chuckled awkwardly. "I guess with what I can do now I can't really deny it but I wish people would stop calling me that."

"Teacher… Mei… you kissed the Moon Goddess?"

"Aanndd they're not listening…"

Mei beamed, wrapping an arm around Kiana's shoulders and the other hand resting in the crook of the woman's elbow. Kiana automatically bent her arm, offering support for the taller woman. "Why yes, Carole. I love her after all."

"We're Married!" Kiana beamed.

"What!?" Carole exclaimed. "And you didn't even tell us?!" Carole touched her fingers to her chest and locked her teacher with the most offended stare she could muster.

"You know what, now our teacher's daily angst sessions staring at the moon make sense." Eve deadpanned.

"Hey!" Mei frowned. Kiana shot her an amused look and she was forced to look away to hide the embarrassed blush flooding her cheeks. "They were not… angst sessions ."

“Aww Mei…” Kiana held her hands behind her back and beamed at her wife gleefully, “Did you miss me that much? We talk almost every night though!”

“...I’ve been on so many missions lately we haven’t had much time for that though…” She murmured sheepishly.

Eve raised an eyebrow at that. “Who knew the stern instructor Raiden Mei could be like a lovesick schoolgirl.”

“Not another word, young lady.” Mei’s voice had instantly become more commanding and stern. It almost reminded the white-haired Herrscher of when Mei had first willingly become the Herrscher of Thunder. Except it still held hints of Mei’s usual soft, caring tone. Unlike when she had beaten Kiana unconscious. Which was kinda hot looking back on it.

Kiana giggled at the girl’s sheepish smile. “Wow, you know, it’s kind of hot when you do that. I wonder how many gay awakenings you’ve caused doing that.”

“Kiana!” Mei appeared scandalized, lightly smacking her wife on the head.

Kiana’s giggles only intensified. “Okay okay, I’m sorry!” Armored fingers gently grasped the taller woman’s jaw and pulled her to the side to meet her wife’s lips. Mei’s commanding aura melted near immediately, her arms encircling Kiana’s shoulders as she deepened the kiss. Much to the embarrassment of her students.

“I get called to come all the way out here at 3am to save a Valkyrie and hunt down my wayward little sister only to find them standing in a warzone with their lips locked. I have half a mind to take Mei back and leave you here, Kiana.” A new, quite annoyed voice rang out into the canyon.

A voice that made the mighty Moon Goddess immediately cringe. “H-Hiiiii Big Sis!”

Shicksal’s mightiest Valkyrie, Bianka “Durandal” Ataegina, leaped down from the cliff she had appeared on. Carole flinched as the seemingly unhappy Valkyrie’s landing shook the loose stones around her feet. The always intimidating Abyss Flower was held perpendicular to her body. “Kiana Kaslana.” Kiana flinched. This was not Bianka, the caring older sister. This was Durandal, the strongest Shicksal Valkyrie. And Durandal always meant business. “By order of Overseer Theresa Apocalypse, you are to come with me. She wants to have a… talk.” Durandal’s tone brooked no disobedience. The most disturbing thing, however, was the smile that appeared on her face at her last word.

She was so dead.

“Hey uhhh before we do anything drastic - I mean, I love Auntie, but I’ve kinda got a lot on my plate with the whole ‘Last 0.6% of Honkai on Earth’ and everything so I should proobbabblyy get back to the moon. Y’know, got a job to do and all that tellAuntTheresaIsaidhiandI’mtakingMeiwithme-” Her words were choked off as she tried to run with Mei in tow only for Durandal to latch onto the back of her collar.

“You are not dragging Mei around, they told me she was seriously injured.”

“Biankaaaaaaaaaa It’s fine! I healed her! All Herrscher powers, remember?”

Durandal sighed. “You’re still coming with me.”

Kiana hung her head with a long, suffering groan.

Durandal turned to Mei’s two students. “Are you two alright? This troublemaker didn’t drag you into anything, did she?” Her eyes wandered around the utterly destroyed remains of the Mercenary company around them.

Eve shook her head. “No, she saved us actually. We’d either be prisoners or dead if she hadn’t shown up when she did.”

“See, Dudu?! It’s a good thing I came when I felt Mei get hurt!”

Mei’s gloved hands cupped her cheeks and turned Kiana’s head so their eyes could meet. “And I am very grateful, my love.” A soft smile graced Kiana’s vision. One she returned. But Mei’s expression quickly fell into a more serious stare. “But you still need to come talk with Theresa. If only so Bianka can get back to Rita.”

Kiana could feel her sister’s glare burning into the back of her head. “Finneeee… Can you stay with me?” 

Mei giggled. “I didn’t plan on leaving your side any time soon, silly.”

“Alright, lets go.” Bianka said.

“H-hey, wait-” Kiana struggled against her sister’s grip as the woman began dragging her away. “BiankaaaaaAAAAAAAA-” Kiana’s voice burst into a shrill shriek as her sister threw her over her shoulder and leaped back up the cliff she had appeared on.

Mei sighed, half in exasperation, half in fondness. “Kaslanas…” She beckoned her students to follow. Smiling, she asked, “Come on, lets go home, shall we?”

Chapter Text

The mighty Kiana Kaslana collapsed into the cheap seat pushed against the wall of the medical waiting room, her face in her hands.

Bianka raised an eyebrow. "So how'd it go?"

Kiana groaned into her palms. “Auntie Theresa chewed me out for a good 30 minutes for abruptly leaving the moon and using my powers to blow up a decently sizable area- even though it was in the middle of nowhere.” She grumbled out the last part. Though the next moment she sighed in resignation, her usually laid back vibe practically imploding within moments. “Don’t get me wrong, Dudu, I understand why she’s upset. I left before fully consolidating all Honkai energy and then I expended what could be considered a decent amount saving Mei. Despite the fact that I pulled it back in afterwards, it had still contaminated the area and now they have to check Mei and her students to make sure they’ve had no adverse effects from sudden Honkai exposure.” She looked pleadingly up at her sister. “I just… I could feel it, Bianka.” Her voice had dropped nearly to a whisper. Her voice sounded so small. So unlike the usual confident, boisterous Kiana they all knew. “I felt it when Mei got hurt. The pain dropped me on the spot. I think because of how I was using my senses my body felt Mei’s pain as if it was my own at the same time I was feeling it directly from Mei. I felt it twofold. Something like that has never happened to me before… It terrified me.” She hugged her arms around herself.

Bianka was quick to sidestep the Honkai wings hovering protectively around her sister to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. The soft clank of her armored knee against the tiled floor followed soon after, the older woman leaning down so she could catch her sister’s eye. “I can’t say I understand what it’s like to experience the world the way you do ever since you obtained these powers, Kiana. But I do know I probably would have made the same choice if I had felt Rita in pain. Though I do have good news.” She smiled, “Doctor Einstein told me Earth’s Honkai levels are so incredibly low there’s a chance you arriving may not have any adverse effects.” She gave her sister a wry grin. “You know, unless you start throwing around Honkai Energy willy-nilly.”

“Heh.” Kiana chuckled (with only slight sniffling). “Thanks, Bianka. I wasn’t really thinking when I left. The only thing on my mind was getting to Mei. But now that I’ve had time to think about it I couldn’t help but worry… what if I’d messed everything up by coming back too soon? All that hard work for nothing? But, heh,” She smiled, a bit of her brightness shining once again. “Either way I can’t deny it feels amazing to be able to see you all again without waiting for the stargate to recharge again.”

Bianka’s grip shifted, pulling the younger woman into her embrace. “I could say the same. It’s lovely to see you again, Kiana.”

While the two sisters took comfort in each other’s arms, the door on the opposite wall slid open with the hiss of mechanics. Pulled from their intimacy, the girls turned their attention to the figure leaving the doorway.

“Mei!”

Bianka released her sister just in time for the woman to leap out of her chair, her wings dutifully floating after her. Kiana reached Mei in only a few long strides, her hand reaching out before hesitating mere centimeters away from her beloved’s skin. “You’re okay right?”

Mei's own hand closed the distance, entwining their fingers with a soft smile. "Yes, I'm okay Kiana. Not keeping a watchful eye over me while I was in there?" She giggled.

Kiana shook her head. "I'm trying to… not use much Honkai energy at the moment." Kiana winced a bit. "The Cocoon isn't very happy that I've basically forced myself down to normal human existence for the moment. Honestly, I'm not either. I feel… kinda off, but… Aunt Theresa's right that me using Honkai on Earth is very different from siphoning it back to the moon." Mei gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm really good at controlling my powers now, but we don't know how the planet will handle my presence since I'm basically a never ending well of Honkai and a hole into imaginary space. Bianka told me Einstein said there's a chance nothing bad will happen, but…"

"Always some unexpected variables, hm?"

"Yeah…" Kiana nodded.

"We'll handle them. After all, we're together again, and there's nothing we can't do together. Isn't that what you told me last time?" Mei grinned. "You're not just some hole into the limitless energy of imaginary space, you're my Kiana. Don't forget that."

A weight seemed to fall from the Herrscher’s shoulders. The woman stood up straighter, her face brightening in a way only Raiden Mei could bring out of the woman. “I wouldn't dream of it, Mei!”

The taller woman cast her gaze behind her lover, to the blonde standing there with a loving smile on her face. “Thank you for staying with her while I was being checked on, Bianka.”

“Ahhh, it’s nothing. You’re both family.” Bianka rubbed at the back of her neck, a slight reddening coloring her cheeks. “I’m always happy to spend more time with my little sister.” She locked Kiana with an unamused stare the instant the woman turned around. “Even if she does get me dragged out of bed at 3 am.”

Kiana grinned sheepishly. “Ehe…”

“Alright, then,” Mei let her hand once more intertwine with Kiana’s. “Shall we check on Eve and Carole? I must give my report to Theresa, and then… we can head home. Together.”

Kiana smiled so brightly Mei swore you could see the universe itself shining in her eyes.

Kiana slowly drifted awake from the best slumber she had ever had in the last eight years. The soft glow of the morning sun slowly drifted through the cracks in the room's curtains, splaying their rays across the sleepy forms in the room's large bed. As Kiana's consciousness slowly awakened, the first sensation to come to her mind was the unfortunate taste of hair on her tongue. Her face scrunched in distaste and she immediately raised her hand to pull the offending strands from her mouth. Or at least, she tried to. Mysteriously, her arm refused to cooperate with the commands her brain was sending it. It was as if her bones had turned to lead. Or like… something was on top of it…

As she slowly blinked herself more and more awake, she eventually registered the body snugly held against her own. The groggy woman raised her head, eyes roaming over the form curiously. Her movement caused the other body against her to rise back to conciousness, a sharp intake of breath preceding the body rolling slightly onto her back.

Kiana blinked. "Mei?"

Mei hummed sleepily. "Good morning, love."

Kiana hesitated. "I didn't unconciously create illusions again, did I?"

A toned arm slung itself around Kiana's neck and pulled her back into the soft embrace of the pillows. "If having you back is an illusion then I don't think I ever want to leave."

Kiana huffed in amusement as the half-asleep woman nuzzled under her chin, the tension in her limbs melting away under the adorable assault of a sleepy Raiden Mei. "Well, I don't usually get this far in them after waking up, so I think it's safe to say those cute noises you made last night were very much real."

"Kiana Kaslana…" Mei's gravelly morning voice was tinged with playful reproach. "You are incorrigible."

"Hehe, but you loovvee meeee." Kiana shot back.

"I do…" Mei's voice immediately softened. Her lips pressed against what exposed skin she could reach without moving too much. "I love you so much. You always have, and always will be, my whole world."

Kiana felt her cheeks bloom with heat, arms tightening around the woman lavishing her collar with affection. "W-wow, um," Kiana's still awakening brain rushed to find anything that could even hope to match her wife's declaration of love. "I- ummmm I'm really glad I get to kiss you again?"

Mei halted her ministrations. The raven-haired woman pulled back just enough to plant a kiss squarely on the woman's nose. "Dummy." She couldn't hold back the giggles that bubbled in her chest at Kiana's indignance. "If you're awake, we should probably get up, hm?"

"Heyyyy… you make it sound like I never wake up on time!"

Mei pushed herself up, noting how Kiana's eyes trailed after the sheets sliding off of her shoulders. "I never said that, I'm simply speaking from experience that you tend to enjoy sleeping in."

"Well it's not like I need to anymore, but it's a lot nicer when you're with me. Yet here I am, being bullied for cuddling with my wife." Kiana pouted.

Mei stood up and began searching through her drawers for an outfit for today. "Oh my darling Kiana, how could I ever make it up to you?" She asked sweetly.

There was a shuffle of sheets and two arms quickly slid around her waist. "Weeellllll, I bet a yummy breakfast from Mei will make today the best day ever! I haven't had your cooking in foreeevveerrrr!"

Mei chuckled, "You know I'd never say no to a request to cook for you, Kiana. After that, I can show you around St. Freya. It was dark when you got here and it's changed a bit over the years, I want to show it to you."

Kiana grinned. "A date with the beautiful Raiden Mei? Sounds like a plan!"

The sun shone brightly over the courtyards of St. Freya, bathing its grounds with the gentle warmth of the morning sun. The combat school looked remarkably similar to her memories and it struck a deep chord of nostalgia within Kiana. There were some new buildings, an expanded outdoor sparring arena, more metal being used than stone in newer more modern construction. But it was still recognizably St. Freya. Even the fountain Mei had taken them to remained the same as she remembered it all those years ago. Back when a hot headed young girl had tripped and fallen into its clear water in a poor attempt to escape the hunt of the alcoholic red-head chasing after her. The memory brought a small smile to the Herrscher's face.

"Sooooooo… What's with your hands?"

"Carole!"

Kiana chuckled. Her wife and her students almost reminded her of how much they would exasperate Himeko all those years ago. Though she'd never been quite so in awe of Himeko as Carole and Eve seemed to be of Mei. 

She held up her hands and studied them for herself for a moment. Shaped, calloused, and strong like they had always been they now had an always present, shifting dark purple energy mixed with traces of a lighter amethyst roiling along the skin. Much prettier than the dark purple of a bruise, it shone with a faint inner light. Four curved white ribbon-like shapes snaked their way from her wrists to about a quarter of the way up her forearm like tattoos. Two came from the back of her hand and wrapped around to the underside of her arm, the other two mirroring them from just under her palm. They stopped where the purple Honkai energy painting her skin faded into her regular pale skin color like dye becoming cloudy and diluted in too much water. The casual glance might make one think she had simply painted her hands, but upon closer inspection they would notice it was more as if the woman was wearing living gloves. If said gloves were as much a part of her as her own skin.

She then held them out for Eve and Carole to get a closer look. "When I became the Herrscher of Finality my body changed to adapt to my new powers and the massive amounts of Honkai Energy I have within me. Part of those changes was that the Honkai energy permanently bonded itself to parts of me like my hands." She next gestured to the sharp angular patterns along her skin jutting out from under her chest piece stopping just below her collar bone, partially obscured by the black, purple-rimmed flowers lying diagonally from right shoulder to opposite collarbone as decoration. "And these black tattoo looking patterns that appeared all over my body. Though it seems they mostly serve to accentuate the outfit my clothes changed to when I transformed, there's whole patterns no one ever sees underneath. Well, no one except for Mei that is." She winked.

"Kiana!"

The two students both turned away with disgusted grimaces on their faces. "Ugh, I didn't need to know that!" Eve gagged.

The Herrscher of Finality bravely stood fast against the might that was a glare from Raiden Mei. "Ehe… Hey," Kiana began, definitely not desperate to change the subject, "Now that I've had time to settle down, where's Bronya?" She looked around the courtyard as if doing so would cause her best friend to manifest before them.

"She's out on a mission with her squad." Mei answered. "She's gone dark so we haven't been able to tell her you're back, or else I'm sure she'd be rushing back here as fast as she could."

"Tch." Kiana rolled her eyes. "That Bratnya and her little stealth missions, would it hurt for her to be callable when I wanna call her at least?"

Eve and Carole made a poor attempt to hide their snickers at the nickname, luckily the older women weren't paying them much attention at the moment.

Mei smiled softly. "I know you miss her, Kiana, just give her a few more days to get back to St. Freya."

"Hmph, she better hurry up! She owes me so many game nights!" Kiana threw her hands up to emphasize her displeasure, though her pouty indignance made Mei want to giggle more than anything else. It would seem even now Kiana would fall back on her all too familiar antics to mask just how much the separation had hurt her. It might fool others, but Mei knew the woman much too well at this point. It probably wouldn't even fool Seele, though the two weren't nearly as close as Kiana was with Bronya. Mei shook her head fondly, keeping her worry restrained to her searching gaze roaming her beloved's face.

Carole leaned over to Eve, cupping her hand next to her mouth to direct the sound away from the older women and murmured "You know, I didn't expect the Moon Goddess to act so…"

"Childish?" Eve finished.

"Hey I heard that!" Kiana whined.

"Just ignore them, Kiana." Mei advised. "Otherwise you might whine too much and prove them right."

"Ugh, I am beset on all sides…"

Mei patted her shoulder in a rather uninspired attempt to comfort her wife, seeing as she couldn't keep the corners of her lips from twitching upwards. "How about we take a walk into the city? We can go through that old park and you can see whether your presence is affecting the environment or not like you were worried about?"

A look of determination quickly formed on the Herrscher's face. "Yeah! Lets do it Mei!"

After making sure she had given her students their assignments for the day, the lovers set off. While St. Freya was near the city, it was far enough away that the duo could get a decent walk out of it. Now Kiana wasn't usually one for things like long walks (Unless she really needed to clear her head), but if there was one thing she couldn't resist it was time alone with Raiden Mei. Surrounded by the well-cared for greenery of the large park between them and the city's CBD, the wind softly trailing through their hair, and the sun warming their skin… After eight years on the moon, it almost felt unreal to Kiana. With her perception of time as warped as it was sometimes when using her powers, even those eight years felt like they began a lifetime ago.

While her and Mei continued chatting away, taking this peaceful moment to catch up with her beloved for more than a few minutes for the first time in months, Kiana tentatively unclenched the mental muscles keeping her senses restrained. While most didn't exactly actively use Honkai energy, she had held them back regardless in St. Freya just in case. It had been strange, pulling her senses back and bundling them up protectively, bringing herself back down to the level of Kiana Kaslana the human for all intents and purposes. Her senses had felt dull. Incomplete. Like she was stumbling in near-blindness, unable to fully grasp the world around her.

That was to say, it felt horrible if she was being honest. Not that she really wanted to tell Mei she had been severely underselling how bad it felt back in the medical ward. When it came to Kiana, Mei would always get overly worried. Which Kiana didn’t mind most of the time, it meant she got to be pampered by her beautiful wife after all. But in cases like this, where Mei couldn’t actually do anything to help… Kiana grimaced mentally. All it would do is cause her undue stress. 

And then the overwhelming feeling of relief as she allowed her senses to once again bloom and take in all around her nearly dropped her to her knees.

Mei gasped and frantically moved to support her lover as the Herrscher stumbled with a sharp intake of breath. A moment later she exhaled, the relieved sigh carrying so much emotion Mei was taken aback. "Kiana are you alright?!"

Kiana nodded, straightening herself back up. A new glow of happiness lit up her eyes, those pink irises once more meeting Mei's gaze with that familiar sense of otherworldliness. "I'm more than fine! I feel fantastic!" Kiana grinned. "Now that I'm more confident in letting my restraints on my powers and senses slacken I feel so relieved. Honestly, I don't even know how I managed with only regular senses anymore. Everything felt so… muted… bland." Kiana shuddered. A smile returned to her face as she stretched her arms above her head. "This is much better."

"It's a bit concerning hearing you describe the regular human experience like that, Kiana." Mei began. "But at the same time, I do often find myself missing the enhancements being a Herrscher provided."

"See? I knew if anyone could understand me, Mei could!" Kiana beamed. She tilted her head, as if listening to someone speak. "The Cocoon's pretty happy too, Earth is much better when experienced with more than just a restrictive five senses."

"Is that what it said?"

"Mmm…" Kiana tapped a finger to her chin in thought. "It's less saying and more what we feel. Not embracing the full range of our senses makes us feel so small and trapped, I can understand why it wanted to lash out at this world’s rules attempting to restrain it like that." Kiana touched a finger to her chin thoughtfully, completely missing the way Mei’s next step faltered. “Good thing we figured out how I can help, right?” Kiana grinned.

“Yes, Earth is lucky to have such a brave protector.” Mei’s wry smile couldn’t quite reach her eyes. “Though if I may be selfish for a moment, I would much rather have my Kiana with me like this.”

“Ehe.” Kiana smiled through the pink dusting her cheeks. “I gotta say,” She leaned over and placed a loving kiss on the taller woman’s cheek. “I also think it’s a lot better being wherever I can have you in my arms, Mei.” Kiana’s cheeky grin only widened as she watched the bright red of her wife’s blush spread all the way back to her ears.

Mei playfully shoved the girl away from her with a giggle. “As charming as ever, my knight.”

The smile wouldn’t leave Kiana’s face, the girl’s heart swelling with joy. As she skipped along in front of Mei, she allowed her hands to drag along the nearby tree trunks, subtly probing the plants and animals nearby for unwanted Honkai energy. Despite having spent eight years training her abilities, the fine control and mental fortitude required for sensing things such as honkai radiation at the cellular level still mostly eluded her. Kiana frowned. There was a faint hum of something familiar, but it felt so far away it was hard to grasp where exactly it came from. It could be Honkai radiation slowly leaking through her from the Cocoon, or it could very well just be the background planetary radiation she had yet to siphon and- for at least for a few years yet- she would never know the difference. Yet still she persisted. The Cocoon's ability to exist on a higher dimension nearly impossible to get to without the help of the Authority of Finality gave Kiana access to dimensions beyond even the other Herrschers. Dimensions that could… shift her perspective. Brows furrowing in concentration, Kiana pushed her consciousness into these different layers of existence. Some much easier to comprehend, others so strange, and so far beyond human understanding she was certain the changes to her mind wrought by becoming one with the Cocoon were the only reason she retained her sanity. Shielding herself from the multitude of insane and reality bending effects these places could have with the help of the Cocoon, she layered them over her consciousness one at a time. Kiana used them like a focusing lens; to change her perspective of her proper world in an attempt to glean deeper knowledge of the environment around her.

Mei watched on, curiously, as Kiana halted next to an aging tree. Her eyes seemed to grow unfocused and her brows furrowed. Was she searching for something beyond sight? She could no longer tell ever since losing her Herrscher authorities. Time slowly stretched on from seconds, then to minutes. The minutes had stretched into the double digits and Kiana had yet to move a muscle besides minute twitching of her frowning expression. Mei approached slowly, unsure if interrupting the woman was wise, yet her concern spurred her forward.

“Kiana?”

No answer. Mei waited a few more seconds.

“Kiana?”

Still the woman did not move.

"Kiana!"

Deciding confirming Kiana was alright was worth the risk of interrupting whatever she was doing, Mei gently laid a hand on her shoulder, intent to shake the woman back to her senses. However the instant their skin made contact, Mei cried out as an intense pain seemed to pierce directly into her mind. Suddenly she wasn’t in the park anymore. She was floating in an endless void, the stars around her twinkling with their typical stellar beauty. Until she watched as a shadow passed snuffed out the light of two adjacent stars only for the movement to reverse and the lights reappear. The cold fingers of a dawning terror clutched at her heart as the process repeated all around her and she was overwhelmed by a dark panic as she realized they were not stars. They were watching her . She couldn’t stop her own hyperventilating. Tears pricked at her eyes as she desperately clawed at the void around her. A deep seated desperation to get away consumed her every thought, every instinct, there was nothing but the all encompassing urge to flee . And just as suddenly as she arrived, the world around her warped and twisted and faster than she could blink she was no longer there. Her lungs burned, sand spilling from her lips and pouring into her eyes before she could clench them shut. The rough grains scratched painfully against the sensitive organs. Her limbs felt like stone, pulling her

Down

Down

Down

Down

Just when she reached her limit, her feet pressed against solid ground as if she had been there all along. Deep breaths of burning air rushed into her lungs. The grassland she stood in bathed in the blood red light of the star hanging in the sky. The air scorched her lungs with every breath, and she couldn’t shake the all encompassing feeling of wrongness that permeated her entire being. It was then that she registered the sharp pain spreading through her legs. Waving softly in an unseen wind, the blades of grass dug painfully into her flesh. Each blade was sharper than any weapon Mei had ever seen. Mei tried to move, only to have more wounds torn into her flesh. Panic set in, the sense of wrongness making her skin crawl, a growing terror settling in the back of her mind. The Valkyrie failed to push it away, feeling her legs move in an attempt to escape, the points and edges piercing and carving away at her legs until there was not enough left to support her weight. Down Down Down she tumbled. Her eyes locked onto the countless sharp blades of grass awaiting her, and she briefly wondered if Kiana would ever find her, wherever she was.

The world warped again, like signal lines on an old tv cutting through her vision. Mei could hardly understand the images that rushed past her eyes. One instant she was but a barely conscious blob of primordial ooze, the next she was burning through the cosmos as a comet, another she felt the life of a being so large and ancient it defied all logic. The universe was its body, strings of stars formed its hair and dotted its body like a tapestry woven of the fabric of reality itself. Eyes like galaxies searched through the past, present, and future with impossible ease in search of some unknowable goal. Simply trying to gaze upon its entirety made her head feel like it was splitting in two. More images flashed past her vision, each causing the splitting headache to increase in intensity. Mei could no longer hold back her voice, her breaths heavy as she panted and groaned under the pressure threatening to shatter her. Her eyes were wide, desperately darting back and forth between the warped and distorted sensations and images in a vain attempt to understand and lessen the clawing panic etching itself into her very soul. Over and over and over she tumbled, unable to comprehend the things passing before her, spiraling and spiraling, a darkness clouding her mind and sinking her further and further into hysteria. A roiling, rumbling roar intensified in her ears, the waves of sound carrying with them whispers of beings too strange to be considered beings at all. Mei pressed her hands over her ears, certain that if she attempted to listen she would lose herself entirely. Yet her hands did nothing. The roar and whispers grew louder and louder, a cacophony of swirling chaos a single Valkyrie couldn’t hope to keep at bay. Growing and growing, the pressure on her head becoming impossibly painful, the cracking of bone and tearing of sinew reverberating through her body until she would have done anything for it to stop.

And just as suddenly as she had been swept away in the chaos, all fell quiet, and Kiana Kaslana snapped back to reality at the sickening thump of a body hitting the ground.

Chapter Text

The soft breeze of night gently brushed its fingers through her snow-white hair. The cold night couldn’t match the coldness of the moon, but the similarities brought unexpected comfort. The thought brought even more disquiet to her already troubled mind. There she sat, legs dangling over the edge of the roof. Kiana absentmindedly tracked the presence slowly trekking up the stairwell to the roof entrance behind her. However, her gaze remained fixed on the twinkling city lights glistening a couple kilometers from St. Freya. The clanking of the worn metal door to the roof made the approaching figure’s presence known as booted feet clacked against the concrete and allowed the door to slam closed. Kiana remained silent as the familiar diminutive figure stepped up onto the raised rim of the roof and joined her where she sat.

“I’m sorry.” Kiana’s voice came out a hoarse whisper, hardly befitting her usual boisterousness.

“You really need to learn to stop apologizing for things that aren’t your fault.” Theresa chuckled humorlessly.

“But I-” Kiana bit back her words, the tears she fought back evident in the wavering of her voice.

“Kiana…” Theresa’s voice softened. “It’s obvious you have no idea what happened.” She laid a caring hand on her niece’s shoulder, wanting to let her presence add further weight to her words. The instant, almost visceral way Kiana flinched away from her touch and covered the bare skin of her shoulder with a hand halted Theresa in her tracks. Not to be deterred from comforting her niece she allowed her hand to fall to the roof and continued, despite the worry eating at her heart. “I know how you are, something bad happens and you shoulder the blame whether you actually need to or not because you feel you should be able to help. It’ll all keep piling up until it finally burns you out. You got a lot better about it leading up to your time on the moon, but now it seems you’re slipping back into your old habits.”

Her words finally drew Kiana’s gaze away from the city. Her reddened eyes and tear streaked cheeks finally brought into full view as she turned her eyes to her Aunt. “But I should know Theresa!” She couldn’t hide the frustration and anger seeping into her voice. “I’m the fucking Herrscher of Finality, I should know what I did-” She bit back a sob, “What I did to Mei! But I don’t! I don’t know how she made a connection to me like that! And the fucking Cocoon won’t answer me either!” She slammed her fist against the lip they were seated on and Theresa winced at the rough crack of concrete shattering to pieces. 

The moment she caught Theresa’s reaction in the corner of her eye all the anger seemed to drain from Kiana’s body until she simply appeared as a pale, frightened girl. “I-I’m sorry, Auntie… I don't know what's come over me lately…" She took in a shuddering breath. "I've felt so lost so… disconnected ever since coming back from the moon. I see you all changed and living your new lives and I can't help but wonder… if I really have a place here anymore."

Theresea looked up, sympathy for her beloved niece shimmering in her eyes. “Kiana… I know you carry a heavy burden as the Herrscher of Finality, but please don’t forget that you’re not alone. We’re all here for you, even when we’re thousands of miles away. We’ll do anything we can to help you figure this out, alright? Don't make yourself suffer alone. You will always have a place with us, Kiana Kaslana. We’re your family.”

Kiana looked away, hesitation clear on her face. The sight of the crumbled wall where her fist had struck in her frustration twisted her gut. After a moment she managed to tear her gaze back to Theresa and she slowly nodded. Theresa knew this wasn't the last time she would hear of these worries, but she would take small victories as they came.

“Would you like to check on Mei again?”

“Yeah.” She croaked out.

“Do you want Bianka and I to stay with you?”

She nodded. “Please. And… thank you… Auntie Theresa.”

For the first time today, Theresa felt her smile finally reach her eyes.

Kiana’s steps clacked confidently down the hall of St. Freya’s hospital wing, even as her emotions warred within. One of her hands absentmindedly petted one of the Honkai wings at her side. The construct of pure honkai nuzzled into her touch like a loyal pet. The steady rap of her boots against the tiled floor faltered as she approached the door to Mei’s medical room. Bianka stood nearby like a sentry, her form perfect and her eyes alert. Theresa said nothing, instead raising her hand to rub gentle circles against Kiana’s back. 

Kiana tensed, "Please don't touch me, Auntie…" She asked with a strained whisper.

Theresa snatched her hand back to her side as quick as lightning. "Sorry."

Kiana nodded her thanks before approaching her sister.

“Kiana.” Bianka greeted softly. “Before you go back in, I need to tell you we’ve got some visitors.”

Kiana started in surprise. Had she really been so distracted as to not notice? Now that she gave it attention, she could indeed feel the presence of more than just Mei in the room beyond. And they felt incredibly familiar. “Is that… Bronya? And.. Fu Hua?” She looked up at her sister with eyes brimming with hope.

Bianka smiled, “They got back after you went up to the roof a few hours ago. I told them to sleep, but they wanted to be here for you whenever you came back.”

Taking a deep breath, Kiana pushed open the door and stepped through. The rustling of cloth greeted them as the other occupants of the room quickly rose to their feet.

Bronya opened her mouth to speak but paused as Kiana darted towards her until she abruptly halted her advance merely a meter away. The girl’s arms moved like they were opening for a hug but hesitated a moment later, Kiana choosing to hug her arms against her chest instead. Bronya frowned. Even if she hadn’t already been worried, seeing the usually very touchy and excitable Kiana appear before her like this would have set off alarm bells like nothing else. Bronya gently held her hand out, palm up. “Kiana?”

Kiana’s dulled, reddened eyes stared at her best friend’s offer for a moment before she took a deep breath and let her arms fall to her sides. Her chest expanded and contracted with several deep breaths and her mouth moved as she silently counted a few seconds. Upon opening them they had cleared of any signs of her emotional turmoil, once again brightened with the soft glow of a Herrscher’s power. 

“I’m sorry Bronya, I just…” 

She glanced to her hand again and her whole body tensed. Hesitantly, her own reached out. Time seemed to stretch on for eternity for the gray-eyed woman as her friend’s fingers slowly laid themselves upon her own. Kiana visibly slumped in relief as if expecting something to have happened. No one dared to break the silence after her words. At least until a quiet sniffling broke the tension that had settled over all present. A tear sparkled in the fluorescent light as it trailed wetness down the pale-haired woman’s cheek.

“When this all happened-” Kiana paused, her throat bobbing as she swallowed thickly. “Everything was fine until Mei touched me… I guess it… affected me more than I thought.” Kiana looked away from their joined hands, ashamed.

Bronya squeezed the hand that still lay in her grip, her gaze emotionless as usual even as Kiana sensed the wroiling emotions hidden beneath. Bronya allowed herself a small smile. “Well we’re touching and I’m still fine. I must be immune.”

“Heh.” Kiana laughed softly. Her smile didn’t last long, but she did return Bronya’s squeeze of her hand.

Bronya tilted her head questioningly. “May I hug you, Kiana?”

“I-” Kiana paused. That fear still lingered over her mind like a fog. A thick, dark cloud that made her want to shy away from the offer. From her best friend. From touch . But when Bronya squeezed her hand in that gentle, caring way she reserved for her loved ones, her mind felt just a little clearer. A little more comfort settled in her tense body seeing that her friend remained safe and sound. And just a little more of that terrible fog was shaken off. The words haltingly, but eventually, tumbled from her lips. “I… yes please, Bronya…”

Kiana stumbled a bit as her best friend stepped forward and enveloped her in an embrace. Arms wrapped tightly around her and Bronya tangled her fingers in messy, dirtied white hair, gripping her tightly as if she was afraid the woman might disappear like the morning fog on a sunny day. Bronya trembled slightly as she took in a sharp breath. Where Bronya was struck by the smell of sweat and dirt and the faded scent of Kiana's shampoo, Kiana took comfort in the familiar scents of gun oil, grease, and lavender. Of course, the lavender was courtesy of Seele. Something Bronya had kept up ever since her wife had gifted her the perfume. Kiana slowly, but surely, wrapped her own arms around the woman and returned Bronya’s near desperate embrace.

"See? I’m safe" Bronya’s voice was muffled, the woman having not removed her head from where it was buried into the crook of Kiana’s neck. "We love you, and we’re here for you, Kiana. Just maybe let me know in advance next time you decide to give us a visit, yeah? That way I can prepare a proper welcome for my idiotka best friend."

Kiana released a short, weak laugh. Patting Bronya’s hair, she gave the girl a strained smile. "It wasn't exactly… planned." Her gaze tracked from Bronya’s reddening eyes to the woman on the bed next to them, her voice and smile falling along with it. "None of this was…"

Bronya hesitantly released Kiana from the hug and gestured to the room’s other conscious occupants. "Bianka filled us in on everything that's happened." Her eyes shifted to Hua's red-eyed twin. "Senti kinda just… showed up at some point."

"I could sense I was needed!" Senti said.

“Ah…” Kiana shot them a wavering grin. “No wonder I thought I felt Fu Hua in two places at once.”

“Hey!” Senti frowned and put her hands on her hips, “Don’t make me regret letting the Old Timer drag me here!”

"Hua…" The sudden shift to another longtime companion of hers brought with it another rush of emotion. Kiana's voice wavered and she fought against the tears once again welling in her eyes. How pathetic must it be, to see the Herrscher of Finality crying like an overly emotional teenager? Fu Hua made her way around the hospital bed between them, stopping just out of arm’s reach and holding her hand out in greeting. Kiana’s eyes darted between the soft expression on Fu Hua’s face and the open hand extended to her. She swallowed and took another deep breath, obviously steeling herself. Tentatively, she reached out and placed her hand in Hua’s own.

There was a stillness, Hua ready to let Kiana approach this at her own pace. The next moment, Hua let out a startled yelp as Kiana gripped her hand and yanked the ancient warrior into a tight  embrace. She had the smell of the wilderness about her. The scents of grasses and soil and woodfire smoke all blended together as Kiana took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm sorry this is how we're all meeting again." 

"Kiana, you know you have no need to apologize." Fu Hua admonished softly.

"Sorry- er I mean, you're right I just…" she pulled away and moved to Mei's bedside. Her hand reached towards Mei's own. But she hesitated, and soon let her hand fall back to her side. "I can't help but feel responsible even if I don't understand what happened. Everything was fine until she touched me… I um-" Kiana grimaced. “I’m sorry, Auntie.” She turned towards Theresa, trying to ignore Bianka watching curiously behind the diminutive woman. “I know I probably hurt your feelings with how I reacted earlier. I- I was afraid any prolonged contact with me might also have… an adverse effect on others.”

Theresa sighed, her face lighting up in a wry smile. “I will admit it stung in the moment, yes.” She shrugged. “But I might understand a bit more than you might think. Before I figured out exactly how my Vishnu powers worked and all I knew was I could consume to gain power, I was also afraid that my mere touch might bring people harm.”

Kiana’s eyes lit up in understanding. “I… do still kinda internally panic a bit at getting touched right now, but as long as I know it’s coming…”

Bianka nodded. “Of course, Kiana. It’s the least we can do to respect your wishes in this matter.”

Kiana groaned. “Sis, you’re getting all formal again.” A small smile flashed across her face. “But thank you.”

The rustle of cloth pulled her gaze back to the other side of the room. Hua rushed back around the bed and slid her arms around a shaky Senti as she sank back into her chair. The usual bluster and arrogant self-assuredness the Herrscher always projected seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

“Senti?” Kiana’s brow tightened with worry.

Senti sighed. "While you were out I tried to look into Mei’s memories to see if I could figure out what was wrong, because if anyone could figure out what’s up with her head it’s me! But…” Senti held up her palm in front of her. She stared at her hand like it was a stranger, the limb shaking nearly uncontrollably. “I guess it’s finally catching up with me. It was…” She ran her shaking hand through her hair. The strands fell limply back down, even her hair seeming to have lost its usual luster.  “Fuck, I don’t even know how to describe it. It was- It CAN’T be described.” She looked at Mei. “I’ll be honest-”

“Senti.” Fu Hua warned.

“Shut it, Old Timer.” Senti snapped. “I’m honestly surprised the woman is still alive, whatever happened is doing a real number on her head and it’s… not normal.”

Kiana stumbled away from Mei like she had been struck across the face. She would have tumbled over one of the other chairs if not for the steady arm of Bianka sliding behind her back. However, it had the opposite effect than what Bianka had hoped for. Kiana immediately jumped away and retreated from her sister until her back slammed against the nearby wall. The pain didn’t seem to phase Kiana in the slightest.

“Don’t touch me!”

Bianka halted her attempt to reach for her sister, her face creased with concern. “I’m sorry Kiana, I wasn’t trying to-”

“N-no, I’m sorry Dudu, I just-” Kiana hugged her arms to herself and shuddered. “I’m sorry.”

Fu Hua’s focused gaze returned to Mei. “Kiana…” Hua waited as Kiana steadied her breathing for a few seconds and eventually nodded at her to continue. “If even Senti can’t help, I’m afraid it will fall to you to bring Mei back to us. We’ll try to find some way to support you however we can, but we can’t risk letting Senti attempt to enter Mei’s sentience again.”

“What? Fuck that!” Senti attempted to shoot out of her chair only for Hua’s glare to halt her in her tracks and make the former Herrscher begrudgingly fall back on her chair. “I could help Kiana.” She pouted.

Theresa hummed in sympathy. “We just don’t want to lose you, Senti.”

“No,” Kiana began. “They’re right Senti. I caused this mess and I’ll fix it. I will never abandon Mei.”

“Ugh…” Senti scoffed but stayed seated regardless.

Her steps were hesitant. Unsure. But Kiana slowly forged onward back to Mei’s bedside. The beeping of the heart monitor seemed to the Herrscher like the slow ticking down of a timer. She had wasted enough time. A fearful hand slowly reached out towards the still, pale cheeks of the woman before her. She once again hesitated before getting close enough to touch skin, her hand settling on the pillow beside her head instead. Her chest rose and fell as she steadied her breath and she tuned out the sounds of the room as her friends and family repositioned themselves for the wait. A steady rise of Honkai energy filled the room, blanketing the two lovers as Kiana focused her powers once again. Her perception of the room around her gradually began fading away as she pushed her consciousness outwards. Down into the woman before her.

Down

Down

Down

Until all her world was overcome with darkness.

After Senti’s warning, Kiana had expected to be assaulted by impossibly strong imaginary energy, or some kind of mental attack the moment she entered Mei’s consciousness. However as she “stood” within her wife’s mind-space she felt… nothing? She was merely blinded by the white, blank space she found herself in. Kiana frowned. She should at least feel the pulses and ebbs and flows that were a human mind at work. “Mei?” Her voice echoed through the white void. Silence reigned once more. Until something answered her back. 

“We finally meet again, you silver-haired weakness of mine.”

The voice was weak, deeper than she was used to, and sounded rather… relieved. Kiana turned slowly, as if afraid any sudden movement might cause the figure to evaporate like so much smoke. No more than two meters behind her knelt a figure with a familiar head of long, dark purple hair crowned by crimson horns. It was Mei. But it wasn’t Mei. Mei had not held the form of the Herrscher of Thunder for nearly a decade now. Then in the blink of an eye she changed. That same head of beautiful hair was now held up in a ponytail. Her body was now clad in a white suit of armor over a black bodysuit. A horned helm hung off her waist and an elegantly crafted half-skirt spread out behind her where she knelt. Her form however… As Kiana looked closer she could see strange patterns writhing across her skin. Patches of her, armor and all, seemed to fade in and out of existence at random. She blinked, and again the figure had changed. Adorned in the red and black uniform Mei had worn for formal events or urban missions at St. Freya. Another blink, and it was back to the Herrscher of Thunder. She could sense the tightly controlled flow of imaginary energy rushing through the figure and forming the boundaries of the space they were in.

Then, as if it had been obvious all along, Kiana knew the figure in front of her like an old friend. “Is that you, Thunder? Or, uh… Mei’s Will of Stigma, I guess I should say?”

“I have been dormant ever since she accepted the mantle of Herrscher of Thunder. Did she tell you?”

“Yes, but I also have… a few new tricks. I don’t mean to sound rude but, why are you here?”

The Raiden Will of Stigma scoffed softly. “As direct as ever I see.” She moved only just enough for Kiana to know she was glaring. “The Raiden Clan’s Stigma is… defective. While we existed simultaneously when she had only partially awakened as a Herrscher, that was because I had been awakened. You surely know the Gem of Conquest was implanted in her to counteract the fact her body was not strong enough to withstand such a mutated awakened stigma, correct? Without me she very well may have been a full fledged Herrscher the moment she awakened.”

Kiana nodded before remembering the Will of Stigma couldn’t see her. “Yeah, we’ve talked about it. We also figured out how Herrschers and Stigma Awakened interact when in close proximity. The Yin to our Yang, if you will.”

The Will of Stigma nodded. “Yes, a more stable spatial existence that counteracts the chaos of a Herrscher Core’s singularity. I was able to piece it together from Mei’s memories. What little I could access safely, at least.”

“Do you know what’s wrong with Mei?” Kiana’s urgency began to bleed into her voice.

“I’m getting to that, control yourself.” The Stigma huffed. “Now that she no longer has the powers of a Herrscher, and thanks to the changes wrought to her body because of the core, I can safely awaken without killing her or placing incredible strain on her body and mind. Like I was all those years ago. I also won’t negatively impact her abilities since with no Herrscher core, there will be no overstabilization effect causing her undue stress. Whatever happened yesterday overloaded her mind with Imaginary energy the likes of which I have never felt before in my existence. I awoke purely because I could feel this energy beginning to tear her mind apart. If I had not intervened she might not have lasted long enough to even fall unconscious.”

Kiana slowly walked in an arc around the kneeling woman as she talked until she stood in front of her. “I- I see…” She grimaced. “Please… I don’t know what I did to Mei. You’ve been here this long, if you know something you have to help me.” she pleaded.

The Will of Stigma looked up so she could finally take in the form of the white-haired girl. The girl looked so different from when the stigma form had last seen her. Her steps held an unfamiliar uncertainty to them. Her shoulders hunched down like a woman straining under too heavy a burden. Those beautiful cerulean eyes, now paired with the pink stars of finality in her irises, were red from tears. Her brows were drawn down in a pitiful look of uncertainty, fear, and desperation. "Who is this wreck in front of me?" The Will of Stigma accused. "She certainly isn't the Kiana Kaslana I know. The Kiana I know would have come here determined to do anything to save the woman she loves. Yet before me all I see is a broken woman unsure of the very breaths she takes."

Kiana reared back in shock. "Hey, what the hell's your problem?!"

"I have no problem with Kiana Kaslana. Only the trembling little girl in front of me."

Kiana grit her teeth. "Yes, I'm scared! How couldn't I be? I might have a good grasp on the powers of Finality I've been testing the last eight years, but I have a long way to go before I discover their full extent or even their limits! I thought I killed Mei and didn't even know how! I still don't! For all I know it could take me another eight years to figure it out!"

"So you'll just break under the pressure and run away, is that it? The mighty savior of humanity." The Will of Stigma mocked.

Kiana's hands tightened into fists. "I am not breaking! And I certainly won't stand by and let Mei suffer when I know there's gotta be something I could do to help! But that doesn't make me any less scared! What if this happens to her again in the future?! Or someone else?! Am I that much of a danger to humans now that my mere presence is harmful?"

"You worry about the future so much for someone that can supposedly control the flow of time. Maybe you should have let Kevin sacrifice humanity after all if this is all it takes to send you into a downward spiral, oh great and powerful Moon Goddess. Are you a Goddess? Or merely an idol plucked from the earth to give the people false hope?” The Stigma watched as Kiana’s face lit up in vivid anger, her fists balling so tightly her nails drew blood. “Just another human lying to the world and saying you’re here to help while you can’t even save those who mean most to you?"

“ENOUGH!” Kiana made a slashing motion in front of her in emphasis. As she threw her hand to the side the whole space shook with the power that blasted forth from the woman. The Will of Stigma remained unmoving even as the sudden torrent of Honkai Energy threatened to wash away what little of her remained. Her eyes seemed to lock onto something to Kiana’s right but the riled woman failed to notice. “Are you trying to make me angry?! What’s the point?! Getting angry won’t help Mei! You’re right, I’m not the Goddess people think I am! I don’t want to be! I want to be human like everyone else, but every day it seems like I become more and more distant from everything I’m fighting for! Is that what you want to hear? That I’m some inhuman thing that could destroy the world and reset everything and destroy it again with barely a lift of my finger?”

“And that right there is the problem, my dear Kaslana.”

“What?” Kiana snapped.

“Your humanity and Godhood are not necessarily mutually exclusive, girl. The Cocoon wants you to embrace humanity, after all. However they are not the same either. What Mei needs right now isn’t Kiana, the human. She needs Kiana, the unstoppable Moon Goddess. The Herrscher of Finality. The first to embrace the Cocoon. The woman who can tear open pathways into imaginary spaces human minds simply cannot fathom like reality itself was made of paper. Kiana the Goddess will be her savior. Kiana the Human will be the comfort that brings her home. It is time for you to stop wallowing in despair and self-pity and realize that you do not need to be one or the other, for often you will find people in need of both.”

Kiana’s fists still shook, but those multicolored eyes darted around as if searching for an answer hidden in the white space. The unimaginable power radiating from the girl did not cease, but the fury slowly drained from her features. The embers of her fury still simmered in her eyes but her mind was clear. 

“This energy infusing Raiden Mei’s mind is strange. Powerful. Incomprehensible. I have seen Mei has experience escaping the restraints of a mindspace. If her consciousness was truly still here, or it was that simple, I am confident she would have woken up already. So my only question now is this; what did you do?”

Kiana wracked her mind for everything that had happened yesterday. The Will of Stigma’s analytic gaze remained locked on the Herrscher, watching as her multicolored eyes darted back and forth as the Kaslana searched for an answer. Everything had been fine until… 

Kiana froze. A feeling like the feather-light tickling touch of a water droplet sliding down her skin sent a shudder up her spine. She had unconsciously begun absorbing Imaginary Energy and it was… well, re-energizing her. But from where? Her head snapped to either side, eyes darting to and fro in a focused search for the energy’s source. Following her instincts, she turned to her right. The source immediately became clear to the Herrscher. A few meters away from her, the air itself was cracked like broken glass. In the center of this pattern in the air there was a hole no more than the size of her fingernail. Behind it was a roiling, writhing sea of pure energy that was now leaking into the white space. And with it… 

Kiana bared her teeth in a silent growl and marched towards the tear in dimensions. A familiar, comforting warmth nudged at the edge of her senses. It smelled of spices, felt like a warm embrace, she could hear a whispered laugh and the boiling of water, in the corner of her vision fluttered strands of lovely purple hair. Suddenly the power filling the space abruptly rushed back into the woman with all the force of an imploding star. The Will of Stigma found herself barely holding on to her own energy, fighting to prevent herself from being pulled in along with it so great was this force. The Kaslana formed her fingers into a claw and shoved them forward. More cracks appeared in the air around the hole as her fingers seemed to pierce the fabric of reality itself. Those same fingers flexed as the woman jerked her arm to the side and with a sound like shattering glass, the hole was ripped asunder into a massive tear howling unfathomably powerful energy. The same power that had nearly swept the Will of Stigma up with it now exploded outwards once more. However, this time it carried a sense of purpose. It blanketed the area, pushing back against the far reaches of terrible dimensions, keeping them at bay on the other side of the tear and releasing the Will of Stigma from her burden. The form collapsed to the ground, the patterns and patches writhing and fading in and out of existence slowly returned to their original forms. And thus, she was whole again, if severely weakened. Not for the first time, the Will of Stigma stared at the Kaslana with incredulous wonder.

As if sensing her gaze, Kiana looked back. Her eyes flared to life with an otherworldly fire and for the first time in her life, the Will of Stigma felt… small. Insignificant. The fierceness in those eyes not just matched but exceeded her own, and the faintest thought that perhaps she had been wrong in her accusations flashed through the back of her mind.

Oblivious to her internal ponderings, Kiana nodded to her. She only said one thing: “I’m bringing Mei home.” before she stepped into the maelstrom beyond reality. A sound like a violent wind rushing past her ears rumbled through the space as the break in reality left in Kiana’s wake put itself back together and vanished without a trace.

Kiana was gone, and the Will of Stigma allowed herself to fade back into slumber with a pleased smile.

Chapter Text

A sharp intake of breath echoed throughout the space. She was still rather new to pushing her consciousness from the proper world directly into higher dimensions and it still left her a little disoriented for a few seconds. The area was dim, like a shade had been drawn over a lamp. But what she didn’t expect was the feeling of… freedom . Her senses felt… open . Loose. Like finally stretching a tight muscle, opening herself up to this world filled her with relief. Back on Earth she had to focus intensely when altering time in order to avoid any catastrophic consequences from slinging the flow of time around like it was a yo-yo. Here though… She barely even had to think about it. In fact, now that she had a look around she realized the darkness was not due to a sunset or being under a canopy. She, in fact, was in the middle of a sandstorm. She had simply… instinctively stopped time the moment the Cocoon registered a danger in her new location. Kiana tapped playfully at the frozen grains of sand, watching them float to a stop like moving a bubble that had escaped the laws of momentum. With barely a thought that same sand began flowing backwards. Everything around her moved backwards, including the very ground she stood on. Kiana was forced to hover above the sand as the grains beneath her boots seemed to roil and writhe like a glittering dry wave. The sand flowed away, tumbling over itself back into the air until the storm had receded to the horizon. Just as quickly a ripple overtook Kiana’s vision and she was back where she had started. A disbelieving chuckle burst from her chest.

“Alright, I’ve wasted enough time.” She murmured to herself. She strode purposefully through the frozen storm, her senses stretching out to impossibly far distances in search for that fleeting warmth she had felt leaking through that crack in what remained of Mei’s stigma space. With them, she didn’t even really need to bother keeping the sandstorm away as her human senses were nearly unneeded. Though it turned out she may have been casting too wide a net. The Herrscher yelped as her foot caught against something firmer than simple sand and nearly sent her tumbling to the floor. By her foot was a sandy shape partially hidden by the dim light within the sandstorm. Luckily for Kiana, her vision was far beyond a normal human’s. A sand-caked hand jutted from the ground like a macabre statue. Nearby, the tips of another set of fingers just barely peeked out of the sand. Kiana’s attention now refocused on the shifting grains frozen in time, her senses were immediately availed of the horror beneath the sands. Every few meters was another body, frozen in a futile struggle against the ever shifting sand. Each body seemed to have fallen into a cylindrical hole, and if her hypothesis was correct, the sand piling on top of them slowly buried them alive as they attempted to pull themselves to safety. Kiana floated back into the air and took a moment reversing and forwarding time just to check if her hypothesis was correct. The writhing surface of this place seemed to make the answer clear. However the holes seemed too cleanly made to simply be a result of the shifting sand. But this strange phenomenon did not interest the Herrscher. The only thing that concerned her… was about two kilometers away, further into the sandstorm according to the Cocoon. Kiana immediately locked onto that faint wisp of familiarity whispering in the back of her mind and called upon the Authority of the Void to instantly teleport herself next to its source.

Her heart froze as the only thing that greeted her was another patch of sand. However this one was caved in and bore no sign of a body frozen in horror like the others. Kiana quickly released the breath she had been holding and refocused her enhanced senses on that faint trail that had led her here. Mei must have been here, the partially filled hole was saturated with the warm sensation of Raiden Mei. As Kiana focused she felt something open up within her. The newfound freedom of her senses felt like a flower blooming in her chest. A warm, comfortable, natural sensation as her mind worked at impossible speeds. The Cocoon wailed its whale-like call of interest as it recognized and helped Kiana adjust to her expanding senses. Her eyes shone like gleaming gems as her mind quickly adjusted to comprehend all the new information flowing through her myriad of supernatural senses. She could examine just how long Mei's presence had graced this dimension with just a little focus on the energy left behind. Only a few seconds. But those few seconds were enough for an outsider to leave a lingering trace. Though really, Kiana shouldn't be surprised. With how closely she operated with time it was easy to see how time in this dimension differed. As far as this dimension was concerned, it had barely been any time at all since Mei left.

All this ran through her mind in nearly an instant. And in the next she had disappeared into another void portal. The barrier between worlds couldn't even be considered an obstacle to one with the Authority of Finality, and Kiana easily slipped through as she raced after the fleeting caress Mei had left on the energy of these worlds. Kiana found she was easily able to trace a path struck through the fabric of dimensions. Unlike how she could sense her own path- something smooth and elegant as her powers allowed her to easily travel between dimensions and spaces with little disruption- this one was ragged, rough, and felt more like something had been violently dragged through the fabric of reality itself. Which also meant it was easy to follow.

Another portal tore open the space before the Herrscher. This time instead of instant teleportation, it instead functioned more as a doorway to allow her to step beyond. Back into the swirling and writhing chaos of Imaginary Space. From the moment she’d obtained her Void powers, slipping between spaces had come naturally to the girl. Though that had originally been between her own world and Imaginary spaces she created and controlled, it had become rather simple for her to use the powers of Finality to adapt it to slipping through the walls of dimensions entirely. Even ones that were entirely alien to her such as this. Chasing after that ragged trail torn through the imaginary energy saturating every inch of this void between dimensions, she hardly spared a glance to the worlds and other places that whipped past her in a flurry of images, fleeting feelings, and strange sensations she could not explain in human tongues. Maybe someday in the future she would travel these places Humans could not even dream of treading, but at present they were nothing but obstacles in between her and Mei. Her portal opened and the light of a red star bathed her sight in a warm crimson glow. The sudden sense of danger shot through her like a spark of lightning and her body halted mid-air a meter above the grassy plain she had appeared over. 

The air was hot, burning, like trying to breathe in the scorching air from the inside of a furnace. Of course, Kiana’s body found it simple to adapt. She had created similarly intense heat as the Herrscher of Flamescion, breathing in an atmosphere hot enough to incinerate a regular person’s lungs was nothing to her. In fact, it brought a familiar comfort to her. Studying her surroundings, she let her own warm flames sweep and across her body, the tongues of flame embracing her like an old friend. Keeping her senses tuned on the trail Mei had left behind, she turned herself downwards and plucked a blade of grass from the ocean of strange sea-green flora. Something about it felt… off. The Herrscher slid the edge of the blade of grass across the pad of her finger and immediately winced and sucked in a pained breath as it bit into her skin like a sharpened blade. While the wound stung, it healed in a few seconds, the flesh stitching itself back together. A cold twisting dread dropped into her stomach as she stared at the spot where Mei had seemingly been thrown into this space. Darting her gaze around the field she found herself in, Kiana swallowed down the panic that instinctively rose in her throat. The trail continued on, and with it, Kiana’s belief that she would find Mei safe and sound. Relatively, at least. Suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable, Kiana took one last glance at the patch of grass covered with the lingering touch of Raiden Mei and collapsed herself into a void portal.

It was then, as she was carving a path between dimensions, that she felt it. A slight twinge at the edge of her senses. Like a musician gently plucking at the strings of a violin. It was noticeable, but it did not force its presence to be known. It was more like… someone calling for her, their voice echoing down a dark tunnel obscuring them from her vision. The moment her attention was split for even the smallest moment, the feeling surged exponentially in intensity. It felt almost… urgent. It was less hearing something and more like feeling disconnected emotions flitting through her mind. This strangely foreign sense of urgency pressed up against her own and as she opened herself up to it, Kiana found its influence sinking into her gut and bubbling back up in a panic that attempted to fill her ferociously defended mind with the overwhelming need to hurry . It morphed as quickly as a dream, turning from urgency to an insistent beckoning. Who- or what - would have the ability to weave through her mental defenses to communicate with her in such a way? Did she want to find out?

Wordlessly Kiana halted her advance. The energy of Imaginary space still swirled around her like giant waves crashing against a rocky shore, but even the infinite chaos between dimensions could not drown out this call. A small flare of Honkai energy and her senses rippled across the barrier of this other space. However instead of the expected warm tingle of life, her senses simply returned… nothing. A frown marring her face, Kiana pressed against the barrier between dimensions once more. The Herrscher slipped through with all the ease of one gently sinking underwater. On the other side the reason her abilities had failed her became evident. The environment around her appeared as another star-dotted void stretching off to infinity in every direction, not unlike the galaxy of her home dimension. Honkai energy continued to radiate out from her body as she stretched her senses far afield. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared before, the pull on her mind returned tenfold. Her expression instinctively scrunched into a grimace. Not in pain, but simply at the strange and uncomfortable feeling that came with this sensation crawling across her senses like little prickling fingers tugging at her mind. However this time along with the draw beckoning her onwards, the stars twisted and distorted around her. Her powers of the Void leaped from her core to resist the spatial anomaly bearing down around her. The Herrscher's instinct to destroy a perceived threat screamed in her heart, but the white-haired woman squashed it flat with a focused forcefulness. Though it went against every instinct, the Herrscher relaxed the mental muscle holding this defense in place. The next instant Kiana found herself billions of kilometers closer to two of the bright stars she had observed from a distance too great for most human minds to truly fathom. She had never had reason to attempt traveling such a distance before and so the near instantaneous jump made even the Herrscher of Finality blink in mild surprise. If whatever had been beckoning her was capable of such feats, one could only wonder what else it was capable of. The thought made the Cocoon coo softly in curiosity. The Herrscher of Finality was capable of bending space just as easily, traversing dimensional rifts as easily as breathing, and stop time at a whim. And that wasn't even scratching the surface of her abilities. If nothing else, the show of psychic ability and spatial control stoked the Herrscher's curiosity. Was she in danger? The thought never truly crossed her mind. Even if this existence was powerful enough to pose a threat to the Herrscher of Finality, the only being's safety that mattered at this moment was named Raiden Mei. 

Turning her attention to the massive spheres of light and energy before her, a curious gaze studied the celestial bodies hanging in the void. The massive star in front of her began to slowly dim as a crescent shaped shadow washed across it before reversing direction and releasing its light once more. The realization came to her after a moment of contemplation.

A blink.

Kiana stared back at the blindingly bright gaze of the… being in front of her. That pull at her mind growing less insistent, and more the gentle beckoning of something that knew its target had become aware. The pulsing of Mei’s former presence was lit like a beacon in her senses, but its location remained many lightyears away. Despite this, Kiana’s visage remained impassive. Though impatience burned through her veins it would not do to simply ignore the presence before her. She gazed back unflinchingly at the twin stars with her similarly inhuman eyes. Their brightness burned with their own celestial fire, but she was not a simple human that would lose her eyesight upon gazing at the heavens. Tentatively, she stretched her mind out towards that feeling prodding at her. Her head tilted curiously, her searching finding no real body for the being before her. The Cocoon trilled in the back of her mind, egging her on with its own curiosity like a child pressing their face against the glass of an aquarium. Anticipation coiled around her body like a snake ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

And then her awareness properly brushed against her strange, stellar companion.

A strange, but vaguely familiar, giddy rush of happiness rippled across the void. Kiana’s head spun from the sensations washing over her mind in waves, the Herrscher gritting her teeth against the flow. They were similar enough to emotions she could experience that she could recognize them for what they were, but alien enough that they disoriented her and left a strange taste in her mouth as her mind attempted to process what it was experiencing. Her head gently throbbed with pain. A hand instinctively pressed itself to the side of her head, the small headache slowly subsiding as the concepts and emotions rushing into her mind gradually coalesced into a form she could better understand. Another trill from the Cocoon filled her mind with a slow crescendo. A comforting understanding rushed through her and the disorientation slowly receded as the Cocoon’s power flowed through her like the cool and refreshing rush of a river filling up a dry riverbed.

With a deep, steadying breath, Kiana reached further. The thing in front of her seemed to tilt its head in a mimicry of her, the stars of its eyes shifting position much too fast for something so large. She felt that same rush of glee wash over her the instant her mind brushed against the other’s again. An eagerness that definitely did not match her prior image of this strange, massive being. It was… not quite speaking. Feelings, faint images, concepts, simply knowing what it was trying to say. Kiana tilted her head the other direction and allowed a small smile to shine in the darkness of space.

“Huh… I understand you like I understand the Cocoon.” Kiana said to herself. “Cool. So you’re…” She put a finger to her chin in thought and let the being push more of its feelings across her awareness. “Happy to meet someone else that can understand you?” As she spoke she pushed that same understanding back to the being before her. The two stars that seemed to act like its eyes bobbed up and down in a nod. Kiana chuckled softly as the movement ruffled her hair with Solar wind from the disturbed stars. Maybe she could come back to visit them sometime? It couldn’t hurt to know what else was out there. But for now…

Kiana pushed more thoughts towards the being. The reason why she was here. Images of her travels through dimensions. Her goal. She got an answer almost immediately. 

Another tiny thing like her. But this one was in pain. Could not understand. When it tried to touch their mind it attempted to flee in terror. Its knowledge popped into her mind one thought after another like bursting bubbles. However, the memory it showed her at the same moment cemented her certainty. The human shape struggling and flailing that flashed through her mind remained clear to her, even in the strange and difficult to comprehend memory of the being. It was more than aware that both her and Mei were merely projections of consciousness and its curiosity shimmered beneath every touch of its mind. Simple visitors to its musings, but different to any it was used to. The twin stars moved as the being turned its gaze from the Herrscher. A deep sadness spiraled through their connection and twisted her gut in despair. The regret one could only feel from feeling they hadn’t done enough. A surprisingly human reaction. From Kiana’s point of view, at least. Its focus dropped away from her for a moment with a groan of starlit fire. A tightly woven ball of energy seemed to materialize in the void before her, inching forwards and revealing itself from the darkness like a ship breaching a wall of fog. A foreign feeling of… relief… arced through her body. Of one rescued from danger, sheltered, protected, saved . It beckoned at her mind once more, as if offering it to her. The swirling mass of energy resisted her every attempt to penetrate deeper, however she could sense the tight control the being exercised over its energy. Whatever it wanted, she would take her chances.

Kiana let her thanks ripple across the void. Her wings gently ignited, the usual deep thrum of their honkai energy completely muted by the void surrounding them. The thrust steadily pushed her towards the woven energy. The moment she approached to within a few meters the sphere began to unravel. As if an invisible hand had untied a knot holding together the many threads of energy it began to writhe, ribbons of energy untangling themselves like the world’s strangest flower blooming before her.

And once the shell broke… Kiana knew if she had been standing her knees would have shook with the effort to remain standing. A wave of new sensations crashed over her; The smell of home cooked food, the warmth of arms wrapping around her shoulders and a body pressing against her own, soft purple hair trailing through her fingers, an intense and nearly overwhelming sense of love and devotion. The being watched on, unaffected by the myriad of emotions that suddenly rushed across the space between it and the small white figure before it. Elation, concern, an overwhelming happiness, dropping into a deep sadness, it all poured outwards in a tsunami of conflicting emotion. 

From the bright, blooming energy… those lovely strands of purple emerged. Slowly, but surely, the rest became visible as the projection of Mei’s consciousness floated out from the receding mass of energy. Her form wavered slightly once it was no longer restrained by the strange being’s energy. Acting quickly, Kiana let her momentum carry her forward until she could gently take Mei’s form into her arms. She wrapped her own Honkai energy around them, stabilizing Mei’s consciousness from dissipating against dimensional energies a human simply wasn’t designed to withstand.

“You saved her?” Kiana whispered.

She returned her gaze to the being for a moment. A trill from the Cocoon rang out through their connection. Kiana was about to form her own response when a deep bassy rumble responded and nearly startled her into dropping Mei. But after steadying herself, she found a smile growing on her face. Whether a strange new friend or simply something that saved a seemingly insignificant being out of curiosity, it mattered not to Kiana in this moment.

With one last push of thanks, Kiana pulled her senses back. Pink-starred eyes dropped their gaze down to the figure in her arms, the body representing her loved one glowing with a soft outline of pink from her Honkai energy. Her smile easily grew into a beam of happiness.

“Lets go home… Mei.”

The Herrscher of Finality gave one last look to the strange being that had helped her. With one last smile, a void portal swallowed the two earthlings. And again nothing was left but the still void of space stretching on undisturbed once more.

The deep thrum of a void portal ripping open reality echoed through the familiarly empty white space. The disruptions to the mind space had subsided thanks to the intervention of the Raiden Will of Stigma, but the empty space still made a sense of unease settle in the pit of her stomach. The portal disappeared, its use complete, and Kiana gently laid the still form of Raiden Mei on the blank ground. The Herrscher’s chest heaved with a deep breath, her knees meeting the floor as she slowly released it. Her armored right hand approached the pale skin of her wife’s forehead. Hesitation marred her progress, but after another steadying breath, she bit her lip and pressed her hand against her beloved’s skin. With the Authority of Sentience it was a simple matter for her to connect herself as a medium between Mei’s consciousness and the woman’s body. A serene smile subconsciously spread across her lips. The warm caress of Raiden Mei’s mind against her own brought with it memories of… home. The gentle touch of a calloused hand rubbing her arm, slowly working the tension coiled in her muscles undone. The fleeting caress of lips against her cheek brushed against her like a soft breeze, a caring but firm hand on her shoulder keeping her grounded. Kiana’s heartbeat slowed as her mind was immersed in everything that Raiden Mei was and is. A flash of golden light flared from her palm against Mei’s forehead. Kiana’s breath stilled in her lungs. The mighty Moon Goddess dare not move. Even time itself seemed to pause for a beat. Pausing to give reverence to the Herrscher of Finality’s anticipation.

Until the stillness was shattered by a scream tearing itself from Raiden Mei’s throat. The former Herrscher’s eyes snapped wide and her limbs came to life with frantic flailing as she scrambled to push herself from the only presence she could sense near her.

“Mei!” Kiana reached out, worry bleeding into her voice without restraint. “Mei it’s me! You’re okay! You’re safe! It’s me! Kiana! Hey!”

It took another terrifying moment, but after another second Kiana’s voice seemed to strike a chord in the horrified woman. Her screams continued for a moment, losing their intensity one after the other and focus fought to return to her frantically darting eyes. Emotions warred across Kiana’s face as she watched her wife’s chest heave as she struggled to gain control of her breathing.

“Mei?” Kiana asked softly.

“K-Kiana?”

Kiana’s heart broke at the shaky, unsure shudder to Mei’s voice. The dissonance between the strong, fearless, kind woman she knew as Raiden Mei and the shaken, terrified, small woman in front of her was almost too much to bear. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kiana used her powers to slowly levitate closer to her beloved.

She shot the woman her best comforting smile. “Yes, it’s me, Mei!” She settled back down next to her. Mei instinctively leaned into her presence, unaware of the way Kiana tensed when their arms brushed together.

“What-” A shuddering breath shook her body, “What happened?”

“Uhhh…” Kiana grimaced. “Weird dimensional shit?”

Mei shot her wife a flat look. “That… doesn’t really help.” Her voice was weak. Exhausted.

Kiana could only hope her smile didn’t look too strained as she rubbed at the back of her head sheepishly. “Uh… what do you remember?”

“I remember… I was worried about you… You wouldn’t respond and were standing in one place for so long... So I tried to shake you awake and then…” Mei flinched, crying out in pain and pressing a hand to the side of her head like she’d been struck.

“Okay! Okay! Bad idea, maybe!” Kiana frantically touched around Mei’s head and shoulders as if hoping there was a physical wound she could heal. “You uh.. Well we’re in your mind space, which…” Kiana took a moment to look around. “Hey hold on, what’s the big idea?” Now that her attention was not focused solely on Mei, the Herrscher finally took note that the white space she had entered was no more. Instead they were in… their old dorms at St. Freya? The two women rested on the floor just behind the worn couch. Kiana could easily see down the hall just to the edge of the door to Mei’s old room around the corner. And through the shelving in front of them she could see that old kitchen that held so many memories for the two. Even the breaths she took seemed to hit her with nostalgia. “Well this is better than blank white, if you ask me.” She turned back with an easy smile.

“This place holds many memories of happiness and comfort for me… that must be it.” Mei commented softly.

Kiana floated to her feet, reaching back towards Mei with a grin lighting up her face. “Well, the floor is a bit uncomfortable, so shall we sit on the couch?”

Mei gratefully accepted, the couple settling into the soft cushions.

“Ahhh just how I remember it.” Kiana commented, letting her body sink against the back of the couch. The duo was silent for a moment. The heavy air of things yet unsaid hung in the stillness between them. After a few minutes, Mei was disturbed from her thoughts by her wife sucking in a deep breath. “I-” Kiana hesitated. The sudden drop in her mood quickly drew Mei’s concerned gaze. Kiana leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees with her hands clasped and pressed against her chin. The girl looked up at her partner, pain shimmering in her multicolored eyes.“I’m sorry, Mei.”

Mei tilted her head. “For what?”

“This is my fault. I was projecting myself into higher dimensions when you touched me and… apparently that contact connected you to what I was doing which- from what I can tell- shot your consciousness through several of them…” Kiana stated it matter of factly even as her voice wavered. “If I was more aware of what my powers were fully capable of, this wouldn’t have happened. I could have shielded you.”

“Kiana…”

“I know what you’re going to say.” Kiana sighed. “Bianka and Aunt Theresa told me the same thing. And I know you’re all right.” She turned back, emphatically gesturing with her hands. “But I almost killed you, Mei! I almost…” Her voice cracked, a sniff and small wince preceding the water moistening her eyes. “I don’t know how I could live with myself if I’d never found your consciousness.”

“Well there’s no use dwelling on it because that didn’t happen.” Kiana fought back a flinch as calloused hands gently cupped her cheeks and turned her head back towards her companion. Mei’s worry and displeasure made itself known through the frown that fell on her lips. “Kiana you’ve saved me more times than I can count. I can always trust you to do your absolute best for me. This was purely the result of lacking knowledge about Finality. But when it comes to something so eldritch so… strange, how could anyone blame you for still having things to figure out?” Her thumb gently wiped at the small trails of tears burning against Kiana’s cheeks. “I’m still here and it’s all thanks to you. Don’t dwell on what could have happened. Celebrate your success.”

Kiana huffed softly in amusement. “You always know just what to say.”

Mei returned the laugh with a sad smile. “Well not always. I have let my fists talk instead when words would have served us much better.”

This time a bright laugh shook Kiana’s chest. “But now you get to tell people you’ve beaten up the Moon Goddess for being an idiot.”

Mei gave her wife an unamused glare. “That was a serious event, Kiana Kaslana. I would never use it to brag about my abilities.”

Kiana nodded solemnly. “Of course.” A moment later her face lit up with a shit eating grin. “I would never talk about your really hot Herrscher of Thunder transformation. Nuh-uh, nope, definitely not something I would have or have ever done.”

“Kiana Kaslana.”

Though the smile remained, this time Kiana fully flinched. She was in real trouble now. “You know,” she began, definitely not desperate to change the subject. “The others are waiting for us back in the waking world. Should probably alleviate their worries soon.”

“We should.” Mei agreed. Kiana began to rise but the weight of a body leaning against her side knocked her back down against the couch. “But not yet. I want to just… stay like this for a while.” Mei’s soft voice pulled at Kiana’s heart. The Herrscher quickly surrendered to her wife’s desire to cuddle and cautiously wrapped her arms around her.

“Alright. We’ll stay like this as long as you want.”

With that the couple closed their eyes and finally escaped into a peaceful, if temporary, rest.

Back in the proper world, the group had originally taken to keeping watch in shifts as Kiana’s explorations into Mei’s mind had stretched out first to hours, and then to days. Senti was the most consistent sentry as the only one that didn’t require food or sleep. It was a strange thing, to keep watch over a woman standing at a bedside for days on end. No movement, no breaks for food or sleep, barely breathing, Kiana was practically a statue besides a time a few days in that her hand had moved from the bed and onto Mei’s forehead, severely startling Senti in the process (She’d never admit it but, unfortunately for the Herrscher, Fu Hua had seen the whole thing). The building and nearby areas had eventually been evacuated by Theresa except for necessary and prepared personnel due to Kiana’s steadily increasing output of Honkai energy. The hospital’s Honkai shielding had needed to be replaced more times in the last week than they had been in the last decade. The output of the Herrscher of Finality was not to be trifled with for certain. While all those present in the room all had extreme Honkai Adaptability (aside from Senti who had no problems as a Herrscher), they still kept what Anti-Honkai serums they had on hand just in case. 

It was during the afternoon of the fifth day that the group received an urgent call from Bianka to gather in Mei’s hospital room.

Not thirty minutes later and those already gathered all turned as the door burst open and the diminutive Shicksal Overseer burst into the room. It didn’t take her long to spot what was going on. A warm glow fought to light the room against the cold fluorescents in the ceiling, its valiant shine casting faded shadows along the tiles. Bronya quickly beckoned her over.

“It would seem Kiana is indeed still doing something in there, Overseer.” Bianka commented. She moved to the side as Theresa approached the bedside and spotted the source of the glow. From under Kiana’s hand upon Mei’s forehead shone the bright light, the warm glow washing over the two women. If anything, it reminded Theresa of the unsettling golden glow of Imaginary constructs, however from Kiana it simply filled her with the satisfaction of knowing her niece was still alive and kicking wherever she was.

“Do we have any idea what this light could mean?” Bronya shot a curious look at Senti.

Senti shrugged. “I can’t tell you unless I dive in there myself and that sounds more like suicide than anything else after last time. It’s possible she’s found whatever is wrong with Mei and is attempting to heal her mind.”

“So she might be gone for a while yet…” Theresa sighed.

“We must believe Kiana will pull through.” Bianka declared. “If anyone can, it’s Kiana.” She offered her friends a small, confident smile.

“You’re right.” Theresa nodded. “When it comes to things like this, Kiana has never let us down.” As if she’d spoken a spell, Kiana’s light suddenly flared painfully bright before disappearing completely just as quickly. And then…

Nothing.

Those gathered shared confused glances. Despite the continued stillness of the two objects of their attention, a hopeful anticipation slowly built in the room. It was quiet. Too quiet. A tension that nearly made Theresa sweat. She felt as though she could ask Senti to cut it with her sword and even the Herrscher would struggle to do so.

“What the hell was that?! Anyone wanna tell me what the hell is happening?!” Senti spread her arms wide in annoyance as she yelled.

The other occupants of the room merely stared at her. “If even the Herrscher of Sentience didn’t know what was going on with a sentient mind, how could they?” their eyes seemed to ask.

Senti threw her arms up in frustration. “Alright, fuck me, then.”

So consumed by their own anticipation were they that nearly everyone in the room startled when a rustle of cloth grated against their ears in the silent room.

The pale hand that had not moved from its position for nearly twenty-four hours fell away from where it rested. Kiana slowly raised that same hand, clenching and unclenching it like a stranger testing her own body.

“Kiana?” Bianka reached out but hesitated to touch her sister again.

However, she needed not fear. When the Kaslana finally turned to face her friends it was with the bright smile of the Kiana Kaslana they all knew and loved. “Hey sis!” She didn’t move from the bedside, but opened her arm to her sister. Bianka took the offer immediately, stepping in to embrace her. Feeling Kiana’s squeeze of affection was a balm for the greatly concerned valkyrie. Pulling away after a moment, her eyes were drawn to Kiana’s other arm. To no one's surprise, her hand was tucked safely in Mei’s own. The wonderful sight of the bedridden woman’s violet eyes gazing back nearly brought tears to Theresa’s eyes.

“Welcome back, Miss Raiden.” Bianka greeted softly.

Mei took a moment to meet the eyes of each of her friends. Fu Hua kneeled and took her unoccupied hand in her own, Senti merely nodded in acknowledgement though the Herrscher couldn’t hide the upward twitch of her lips, Theresa was beaming almost as brightly as Kiana, Bianka gave her sister's shoulder a comforting squeeze, and Bronya even had a small smile of her own.

 “Hi-” Mei began before a dry cough interrupted her. After clearing her throat she smiled apologetically. “Could- ahem Could I get some water?”

“Oh right! Of course!” Kiana’s willingness to jump at the chance to assist the woman was halted nearly immediately by a gauntleted hand landing firmly on her shoulder.

Bianka shook her head. “Leave it to me, Kiana. Stay with her.” With that, Bianka grabbed her lance from where it was leaned against the wall and swiftly exited.

Kiana looked away sheepishly. “R-right, that would be better, huh?” She looked down as Mei gave her hand a comforting squeeze. Once Bianka had left, Kiana gave her quick thanks to the others before returning her attention to her wife. “If nothing else, I’m happiest that I can finally say… Welcome back, Mei.”

“It’s good to be back.” Mei choked out around her need to cough. Though nothing in the room had changed, a strange look suddenly crossed Kiana’s face. “What’s wrong, dearest?”

Kiana snapped her gaze up to Fu Hua and The Herrscher of Sentience. “So uh… how long have I been releasing so much Honkai energy?” She grimaced. Before either woman could answer she spun to her aunt. “Wait, why did Dudu take her lance? Why did she bring her lance to a hospital anyways?!”

Theresa dragged a hand down her exhausted face. “Well… for the past two days or so St. Freya has been fighting off Honkai beasts that have been manifesting around this building… does that answer your question?” Kiana maintained a flat expression as she stared at her aunt unblinkingly for several seconds. When the words eventually sank in, the Herrscher pursed her lips and nodded casually at the rather unfortunate news.

“Ah…” She put her free hand on her hip and shot a worried glance towards Mei. Her gaze swept downwards, lingering on the floor before trailing back up to Theresa. “Well fuck.”

Chapter Text

Kiana’s head dropped back and she stared at the ceiling in exasperation. After a moment she righted her gaze and rubbed two knuckles into her temple. “Leave it to me, Auntie.” She turned towards the door, but before she could step towards it, the soft touch of calloused fingers against her wrist brought her to a halt. Pink-starred eyes snapped to meet weary violet.

“Be safe, love.” Mei’s eyes shimmered with worry, but beneath that was a confidence in her wife that was unmatched by any other being on Earth.

Kiana grinned, “Come on babe, I’m literally the Queen of Honkai now, I’ve just gotta flex on these mortals a little.” The woman bent her arm and flexed her bicep. Smile faltering a little, she continued. “This is my mess to clean up. I was meant to cleanse the Earth of Honkai, but my selfishness caused another outbreak.” The pink stars in her eyes flared to life with power. “Not that I’d ever regret saving my Mei.” Her grin returned. “Senti, keep an eye on her for me? Please?”

Senti straightened up, arms crossed as she flashed her usual confident grin. “Nothing’ll get past the great Herrscher of Sentience!”

Kiana’s attention shifted as her senses lit up with a tightly controlled maelstrom of power steadily approaching the room. She remained fixated on the door until it swung open and Durandal re-entered the room, hair sticking out at odd angles and tangled, her armor and lance splattered with the remnants of Honkai beasts. Kiana looked her sister over with a raised eyebrow. “So I heard there’s a few Honkai beasts outside.”

“A few less now.” Was Durandal's casual reply as she strode over and carefully set down a pitcher of water next to Mei with a thunk. “I did get a glass, but it… was unfortunately shattered on my way back.” Her eyes shifted away apologetically.

“Here, I'll help!” Kiana darted over.

“Kiana.” Theresa's stern tone halted the purple hand reaching out for the pitcher. Theresa's voice softened almost immediately. “I don't mind you fussing over Mei but…” she jammed a thumb towards the door over her shoulder. “Can we go deal with the Honkai beasts first? Please?”

“Shit, right!” Kiana hissed through clenched teeth. “Uh…” She shifted towards the door and then back towards Mei, hands held out in a placating gesture and she turned back and forth frantically. “Um- stay put Mei! I'll be back in a jiffy! Hua watch her please!!” Before anyone could respond, the frantic Kiana collapsed into that familiar void portal and disappeared.

Bianka sighed, the corners of her lips twitching upwards. “I suppose I should head back out and make sure she doesn't do anything ridiculous.”

Theresa nodded to Bronya and the three moved towards the door. “Fu Hua, Senti, keep an eye on Mei, with the lovebirds back we need to go with Durandal to aid the Valkyries.” She grinned. “Though I'm sure we won't be needed much once Kiana gets to work.”

They exited the room as Senti groaned, “Why does everyone decide I should get the babysitting job?!” Though her only answer was the soft click as the door shut.

Senti bristled as Hua shot her an unamused look over her glasses from where she had moved to help Mei sit up to drink. Though a moment later she tilted her head in a gesture towards the departing trio. “I know you're getting stir crazy. Go help them, I can handle Mei.”

A bloodthirsty grin bloomed across the former Herrscher's face. “Finally! It's been too long since I've had a fight!”

Mei winced as the woman kicked the door open with a frightening bang and took off down the corridor after the others, her sword already in her hands. She chuckled as much as her weakened body would let her. “She hasn't changed much, has she?”

A small smile flitted across Fu Hua's lips. “I wouldn't say changed, but instead that she's come into her own since we had the pleasure of meeting her. But when it comes to battle… heh. Yes, she is very much the same Senti as ever.”

Mei gratefully took a sip of water with Hua's assistance. The phoenix watched as Mei hesitated for a moment. Her eyes unfocused and her head tilted as if tracking a sound. “Hey Hua?”

“Yes?”

“I haven't heard any explosions yet, what on Earth could Kiana be doing?”

Carol yelped as the Honkai beast's lance whizzed by her head, just barely deflected off her giant mechanical gauntlet. The second gauntlet's thrusters quickly ignited and followed her fist forward. The rocket powered fist slammed into the manifestation of destruction like a truck, cracking its shield and sending it sliding back several meters. Instead of pursuing, the girl took the moment to frantically cast her gaze about for other enemies. None were coming after her specifically, but… there was a lot .

Honkai levels had risen so rapidly Theresa had been forced to mobilize the entire school to constantly thin the swarm over a wide area around the hospital, using formerly anti-entropy mechs at intervals to give the Valkyries time to rest. Collateral damage wasn't too bad just yet all things considered. But if the ambient Honkai energy levels kept rising, they soon wouldn't be able to prevent the Honkai beasts from getting past them and into the rest of St. Freya and- eventually- the city beyond. Today the Overseer had ordered everyone to make an aggressive push towards the hospital. It was slow, grueling work, but they had eventually managed to make a tight perimeter around the building with Durandal’s help. But now the woman was inside the hospital and nowhere to be seen and the Valkyries were gradually beginning to lose the struggle against the constant swarm of enemies.

Eve landed next to her with a grunt. A sweep of her sword blasted a wave of fire towards the Templar-class beast that had been hounding Carole, enveloping it in searing heat and halting its advance for a time. “Where did squad leader Bronya and the Overseer go?! They said they'd be back soon!” The duo separated as a swarm of Archangels dived towards them.

A valkyrie close to Eve shouted back. “They fought through to the hospital with Durandal! I haven't seen anybody come out yet!”

Carol groaned, smashing another archangel into pieces beneath her gauntlets. “I hope they get back soon! I can't keep this up much longer…”

“Yeah, well-” Eve began before a shout cut her off.

"Parvati!"

Every Valkyrie in the area immediately snapped their gaze towards the looming hospital building. Tremors shook the ground as Honkai energy radiated out from a spot on the ground in front of the entrance. Even the attacking Honkai seemed to pause in awe. From the purple circle of energy, a massive form flew out of the ground, its body curled into a tight ball and spinning rapidly as it descended. At the last moment it uncurled itself and landed on all four of its elephant-like legs. The massive tusks of the Parvati glinted dangerously with pink veins of pure Honkai energy.

Eve sighed. “Oh fuck me.”

The beast with its newly splintered shield took a lumbering step back towards Carole, not willing to at least let her focus on the much more dangerous threat that had literally just crawled out of the ground. She readied her gauntlets, dropping into a wider stance as Eve brought her sword up into a ready position. Even as the fighting continued to rage on around them, their bodies tensed like coils wound and compressed by pure anticipation. Carole’s thighs tensed, ready to leap into action. The roar of the Parvati nearly made her stumble, and shook even the honkai beasts before her as its front legs cracked the stone road as it too dropped into a charging position.

“Carole,” Eve pushed her words through clenched teeth. “We go for the ones around the Parvati first, got it?”

Carole nodded, shaking a bead of sweat loose, her eye twitching slightly as it trailed down the side of her face. Her slightly narrowed eyes gave her a look of concentration alien on the usually boisterous and carefree girl’s face. “Style on them on three?”

Eve’s lips curled upwards slightly. “One…” She lowered the point of her sword towards the approaching Honkai beasts.

“Two…” Carole’s back foot braced against the ground as she bent her knees.

The Parvati spun into a whirling ball of death and charged.

“THR-”

Before the swordswoman could finish shouting the last number, a white and purple comet fell from the sky and erased the Parvati from existence. In the chaos of the rubble and dust launched into the air by the strike, the Honkai beasts nearest the new crater barely had time to react before a lance and several golden spears pierced them with pinpoint accuracy.

Mei looked up as a deep rumble shook the walls of the hospital.

“Oh, there it is.” She smiled.

Fu Hua merely chuckled softly.

“The Overseer and Durandal are back!”

A cheer sounded from the exhausted Valkyries and they rallied at the sight of the new reinforcements. It took only a few more seconds of fighting before a boot slammed the hospital's front doors off its hinges. The closest Valkyrie flinched in surprise as a flash of red disintegrated the flock of Angels swarming her. The grey-haired woman now stalking down the steps immediately attracted the ire of the nearby Honkai beasts. A crazed smile stretched across her face and a snap of her wrist separated her sword blade into a wickedly sharp whip. The segmented blades clacked against the stone steps dangerously as the woman stepped off the final stair.

The woman's smile somehow grew even wider as one swing of her whip-sword cut through shields and chitinous honkai armor like butter. Those nearby stared on incredulously as the woman became a whirlwind of blades cutting through anything that came at her with a natural ease that left those watching stunned even as they fended off their own foes. In the carnage a maniacal laugh pierced through the storm. “LONG LIVE THE HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE!”

The Valkyries must have been beginning to wonder if exhaustion was finally making them hallucinate when the smoldering crater that used to be a Parvati lit up with a soft pink glow and the Goddess of Earth walked over the rim. Kiana took one look at the Honkai Beasts that had turned to stare at her as if in surprise and sighed. It took only a moment for The Cocoon to feed her all the info she needed about the battlefield around her. From the horde of Honkai Beasts still attacking, to the exhausted Valkyries just barely managing to hold them back. The four of them could easily mop up the remainder, but… perhaps expediting the process would be best to avoid any additional casualties.

Kiana rolled her shoulders and took a moment to interlace her fingers and stretch her arms above her head. “Alright, I think Senti's had enough fun for today.” The Herrscher flung her arm out before her like a commander signaling her army to charge. Only instead she then clenched her fist and her brows furrowed in concentration as the pink stars in her eyes glowed with power. The fighting slowly ground to a halt as every remaining Honkai beast in the area froze before- one by one- their glowing veins of Honkai energy lost their luster and every beast began to crumble and disintegrate, faint wisps of pink energy flowing to the lone white figure standing in the middle of the battlefield. Kiana's gaze was fixed on the horizon, her attention on the rapidly swirling Honkai energy she was reabsorbing into her body. Bit by bit, the hazy cloud of Honkai Radiation that had built up around her disappeared, and with it, the last of any threat to St. Freya.

Kiana’s eyes blinked open, the deep glow fading from her eyes. A quick glance around her and a sweep of her senses told her all she needed to know. It was only after she confirmed that there were no more active Honkai Beasts in the area did she notice all the eyes trained in her direction. A tentative purple hand waved back slowly. “Um. Hi?” Kiana’s eyes darted around the astonished, awestruck, and relieved faces of the women surrounding her. Footsteps and the brush of blonde hair in the corner of her vision gave her an excuse to finally tear her eyes away. “Uh, Sis?” She whispered loudly. “A little help here?!”

Durandal merely raised an eyebrow at the girl, seemingly taking no small bit of amusement from her predicament. Luckily for the Herrscher, Theresa began barking out orders and the Valkyries were beginning to break away to take care of the wounded or simply collapsed on the spot for a bit of rest. Well, except for one figure among them.

“Hey!” Senti marched up, irritation creasing her face. As she stopped in front of the white-haired girl she angrily flicked her wrist, reattaching her whip blade before stabbing it into the ground. “What’s the big idea, Kiana?! Do you know how long it’s been since I was able to just cut loose like that!” The woman seemed just about to stomp her feet in frustration. “And you just!” She made a sweeping motion with her hands, wiggling her fingers to mimic something flowing through the air. “Whoosh! Honkai beasts gone! What the fuck! Fuck you!”

Kiana put her hands up in a placating gesture and Bianka watched on in amusement as Kiana smiled apologetically and nervously pushed her hands towards Senti repeatedly as if to keep the woman away. “Hey, I had to! Everyone else was exhausted and getting swarmed!”

“Whatever.” Senti turned with a huff, the familiar pouting tone of the former Herrscher getting a quiet chuckle out of Kiana. Though she immediately cringed in regret when Senti shot a positively murderous look over her shoulder. “That’s it, if you’re gonna take away my fun, you owe me another duel! I’m gonna beat your ass!”

Kiana beamed. “Sure! It’s always fun having a friendly fight with you!” Suddenly seemingly unbothered by the rather angry divine key before her. A firm hand landing on her shoulder stole her attention away from the pouting Senti.

“Kiana,” Durandal said. Once her sister had turned to her she motioned behind herself with her head. “Overseer Theresa is calling for you.” There was a flash of purple and the next moment there was a shrill yelp from behind as Kiana immediately portaled to Theresa’s side. Durandal shook her head fondly and moved off to help her Valkyries.

“Kiana!” Theresa screeched. “Don’t do that! You’ll give me a heart attack!”

Kiana rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Sorry, Auntie! Bianka said you were calling for me?”

Theresa sighed. “Yes, are you able to… heal the wounded? Like, the ones that won’t make it to the medical ward? Or even…” Theresa bit her lip. “No, forget that last part, just healing will do.

Kiana's expression quickly shifted to one of curiosity. “What, Auntie? Tell me what you were thinking!”

Theresa hesitated. “I… It's probably too much to ask but I was thinking… we took several casualties in the fighting today and with how powerful you are now…” Theresa shook her head. “It's just wishful thinking I’m sure, but the thought crossed my mind that… maybe you could do what the Herrscher of Death could not.”

Kiana's eyes widened. “You mean bringing people back to life?!”

“I know I know! It's ridiculous. That's why I told you to forget it!”

Deep in her mind the Cocoon trilled a deep warning. It of course already knew what she was thinking. And the only thing Kiana could feel from it now was an urgent refusal.

Kiana frowned. “The Cocoon doesn't seem to like the idea one bit, but I don't know why… It had the same reaction when I thought about-” Kiana swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. “When I thought about trying to find Himeko.” Theresa deflated, grimacing slightly at the mention of her old friend, though Kiana barely noticed as her eyes scanned the makeshift medical centre. She had been irradiating the hospital, so the Valkyries had had to deal with using tents and the ground. Various grunts and noises of pain grated against her ears, though that was in stark contrast to the stilled and unmoving bodies occupying some of the space.

Theresa watched as Kiana’s gaze hardened, her face bled of every emotion except a determined furrow to her brow.

“I'm going to try, Auntie. Don’t take anyone away from here.” Without another word she walked off. Her senses had allowed her to pick a woman to start with. A silent Valkyrie with a bloody hole torn in her side from a Templar’s lance lay motionless on the ground. A sobbing squadmate knelt at her side, holding a cooling hand and desperately begging the woman to wake up. Two others, likely the deceased Valkyrie’s other squadmates, stood around them with solemn expressions and silent tears. Focused as they were, they did not notice the pair of increasingly glowing eyes locked onto them.

Heavy sobs wracked her body. Ragged breaths rubbed her throat raw and tears stung her eyes. A deep sorrow burrowed its way into her heart. The scrapes along her legs and slashes to her arms were nothing compared to this unseen pain that seemed to eat away at her very being. “Please, Anika…” another sob tore itself from her throat. “Wake up, please…”

“That’s enough…” The voice was soft, but firm. Through her tears, it took the girl a moment to even register her squad lead was speaking to her. “She’s gone, Hera.”

It became increasingly difficult to get words through the growing lump in her throat. Instead, Hera brought the cooling hand of her companion to her forehead and rocked back and forth. Ragged, shuddering breaths broke up her gradually quieting sobs as a creeping exhaustion began to seep into her being. Nothing else seemed to matter anymore. Everything else around her was just background noise. Fading to a jumbled blur of noise and movement. She closed her eyes. All that mattered was the feeling of the hand pressed against her forehead. The only thing left keeping her grounded to the earth.

“Hey,” Her squad lead? She kept her eyes closed, not having enough energy left to care about what was happening beyond vaguely registering the voices close to her. “What the hell do you want? Who are you?”

There didn’t seem to be a response and the sound of her squad lead’s boot dragging along the ground as she shifted into a more aggressive stance grated against her ears. Her two companions seemed to squabble over something she couldn’t quite make out, but her lead didn’t do anything else. A set of footsteps she didn’t recognize came to a stop right next to her. The rustling of clothes came next, and Hera got the distinct sense of someone kneeling down right next to her. The presence felt… warm.

“Hey.” A soft voice radiated out from the warmth that had knelt beside her. “You’re Hera, right?”

“Huh?” A slow bewilderment overtook the girl’s features. She didn’t recognize this voice. “How do you…” Her head slowly pulled up. Away from the cold hand. Her eyes fluttered open. The woman before her was alien to her. A head of white hair like the Overseer, but deeper blue eyes with strange pink stars in place of her irises. The most confusing thing was that this strange woman seemed to be clad in a tattered wedding dress. Or at least, that’s what one would think if it wasn’t for the strange amethyst energy flowing across the inner face of the dress, the flowers decorating her body, the strange wings hovering at her side, even her hands. “Who are you?” She croaked. “… What are you?”

The girl exhaled a small chuckle, a wry smile on her face. “I’m Kiana. I’m a human, like you, doing my best to help.” She reached down and gently brushed her palm against their fallen companion’s brow. 

“Help with what?” Their leader grit her teeth. “She’s fucking dead!”

The three Valkyries collectively sucked in a breath as this strange woman’s eyes suddenly flared with an inner light.

Chapter Text

“Kiana the Goddess and Kiana the Human… You do not need to be one or the other, for often you will find people in need of both.”

The words of the Raiden Stigma echoed loudly in her mind as she brushed her palm against the dead Valkyrie’s brow. The leader of this squad was distraught. Angry. Ready to lash out. Kiana couldn’t blame her. She had seen too many of her classmates die during her time at St. Freya. The effect it had on the team those girls left behind. The hollow eyes of the girls that returned to classes after those missions. And sometimes… there were consequences only realized later. There were many ways that her classmates and friends were taken from her besides falling in battle. But no matter how some of those girls fell, it would inevitably leave a hole. A hole that whispered things at night.

“You could have saved her if you’d fought harder.”

“If you had taken better care of her she would still be here.”

“If you were good enough-”

“If”

“If”

“If”

It was always if.

Kiana’s eyes flashed. “If” always brought with it that swirling uncertainty. Always that thought that you could have done more. What if there was a chance things could be different? Dragging a person down like a whirlpool into darkness.

Now, Kiana knew uncertainty wasn’t inherently a bad thing. Many things about her journey had been uncertain. It was her unwavering determination to take that uncertainty and bend it to her will that led to her victory. Humanity’s future without Honkai was not a future of uncertain suffering. It was an uncertain hope . The belief that the strange and unknowable future would bring with it a new dawn and new heights for humanity to rise to no matter what they faced. And as such…

Earth’s Goddess would take the “If” of the here and now, the plague upon her fellow valkyries, tear it apart, and reshape it into that hope with her own two hands.

She could feel the Valkyries around her stumble back as the power stored within her grew. Her body and clothes came alive with amethyst light. The power within her radiating so strongly that those around her might feel that the air itself was settling heavily upon their shoulders. A pressure building in their ears as surely as wonder for the “Moon Goddess” had built in their hearts. Humans frequently fretted over what was possible and what was impossible.

Impossible.

Possible.

The Cocoon didn’t care about such things. 

And neither should she.

The Cocoon’s song echoed in her ears. A deep, steadily growing rumble roared in her ears until- with a blink- she suddenly wasn’t kneeling in St. Freya anymore. Kiana blinked a few more times, the nausea from using her powers like this fading faster than what she experienced a few days ago. She looked around at how the extra-dimensional space appeared to her this time. A great grassy plain stretched out in every direction. The brown fronds swayed gently in an invisible breeze. The strangest thing, to Kiana at least, was that instead of the expected earthy smell she was met with… nothing. Like the environment she was in didn’t quite exist corporeally enough to fill all her senses. If she focused hard enough the truth just barely shone through. A faint trail of golden roots snaked through the ground of the entire area and stretched off into the horizon beneath the rustling brown grass. Pulses of light would flow through them towards her, almost like breaths. Or a heartbeat. Whisps of white light like fireflies shifted and floated through the air all around her. They left small trails of white light behind them as they moved. Some continued onwards, some seemed to move erratically, as if confused. The ones that moved forwards…

Kiana raised her eyes to the horizon. The unbroken line of brown grass stretching off into infinity was broken by a singular object. In the distance, a massive cross seemed burned into the air itself. Its white light was like a doorway, the pointed tips of the ends of the cross giving it the appearance of space itself having been torn open like paper.

The Cocoon trilled softly. An undercurrent of curiosity beneath its worried echo that nonetheless left Kiana with a pit in her stomach. If even the Cocoon was afraid… could she even hope to stand against whatever was scaring it so?

In the end, she found her conclusion. In the end… it didn't matter. In the end, she- Kiana Kaslana, the Herrscher of Finality, the Moon Goddess, the Queen of the Honkai- had made a promise. To try. And anything the universe could throw at her paled in comparison to the determined weight her promise had settled on her shoulders.

Kiana’s brow pulled down as a feeling of apprehension washed over her. “What’s wrong?” She pushed the question through their connection. The Cocoon’s whale song echoed back. The urge to turn back almost made her step backwards. Her own apprehension closed its fist around her heart. This was something extremely rare to feel from the Cocoon. But all it gave her was an urge to leave, not the knowledge of what was behind its change of behavior. Did it not know what was beyond this “door”? Or was it just not willing to say? Would she even be able to comprehend it? No option assuaged her heart’s anxious jumping.

Kiana stepped closer. One foot after another. The Cocoon trilled, almost sounding alarmed. Worried. Kiana almost laughed.

Surely by now you would know that we Kaslanas are rather stubborn? The thought bounced around in her head

Another, much more disapproving trill rang through her head.

The closer she got to the breach in the air, the more the atmosphere itself seemed to come alive. The hairs along her arm stood on end as goosebumps shivered across her body. There was a tingling in the air like when Mei summoned a thunderstorm in the midst of battle. The feeling danced across her skin like sparks.

A few more steps.

Another anxious trill from the Cocoon.

She was still so far from the breach.

And then she blinked. And with the next step she was suddenly standing within arms reach. The golden roots pulsed beneath her feet. Each beat a wave of incredible power that quickly disappeared to the horizon. The energy infusing the air was almost oppressive in how it pressed upon her. A tentative, Honkai stained hand slowly reached out towards the blinding light leaking through the world. While the Cocoon seemed greatly displeased with her actions, her connection to her body back on Earth remained as strong as ever.

Her outstretched hand hesitated. The closer she approached, the more she could feel the overwhelming pulses of imaginary energy emanating from the other side. And if she focused a little harder…

She could feel the remnants of the valkyries around her body. The last whisps of themselves connecting them to the world either having long been gone or rapidly fading.

“Please.” She pushed the thought to the Cocoon. “Help me. I know we can do this, but I need help with how.”

The Cocoon trilled hesitantly.

Kiana waited expectantly.

When nothing seemed forthcoming, she wavered.

Until the warmth of the Cocoon's consciousness gently enveloped her like a warm, protective shroud. She couldn’t help the grin that lit up her face.

She touched the breach in reality. The convergence of the roots beneath her feet. And her whole world flashed gold.

“Senti, what is she doing?” Theresa questioned out of the corner of her mouth, though due to the proximity of the curious valkyries around them the volume of her voice didn't exactly lend itself to subtlety.

Senti shot her an incredulous look. “Ehh?! How the hell should I know?”

Theresa shrugged helplessly. “I don't know! You're the one with experience as a Herrscher here, you'd probably know better than me!”

Senti put a hand to her chin, suddenly seeming to take the question very seriously. “It is true that the great Herrscher of Sentience, that being myself, knows much.” She grinned. “Though if I had to guess, she must be doing something similar to what she did to help Mei. Think of it as…” she rolled her wrist as if cranking a wheel like it would help her search her mind for the right term. “As like astral projection.” She shrugged one shoulder, ignoring the Valkyries obviously listening in on their conversation. “Though the reality is much more complicated than that. I can do all sorts of things with people's Sentience and perception of reality, but Kiana can do that shit into other dimensions just as easily.”

Durandal chose that time to arrive from wherever she'd been on Theresa’s other side. “How do you know this, if I may ask?”

Senti huffed. “Because she told me, duh. She asked for advice when she first started experimenting with her weird dimensional stuff, obviously I’m the best one to help with that. Even though… after that she learned how to use it to circumvent my mental defenses whenever she pops in to check up on m- To bug me about where the Old Timer is.” Senti looked away with an annoyed huff. “She acts like me and the Old Timer are attached at the hip.”

Theresa couldn't hold back a soft snort at that.

“Why you-” Senti began.

“Huh?” Theresa looked up at the suddenly silent former Herrscher only to find her staring squarely at Kiana's crouched form.

Durandal stepped forward. “I feel it too.”

Theresa paused to focus her senses and quickly felt a familiar tingle emanating from her stigmata.

Kiana's Honkai levels were rising rapidly.

Theresa quickly turned to her companions. “Senti, do we need to run?”

Sentience hesitated for a moment. One moment turned to two, and the words that would send the valkyries scattering clung to the tip of Theresa's tongue. Until Senti slowly shook her head and relaxed her stance. “No…” she tilted her head. “It seems she's keeping it contained within herself.” She saw Theresa relax and quickly added, “Don't get me wrong, she could probably cause another great eruption if she released it all right now, but it doesn't feel unstable.” Senti tapped a finger to her lips as she observed. “Heh, oh she's good.” She murmured. More to herself than anyone else, but a confirmation like that from a known Herrscher sent relieved looks around the gathered women. 

Theresa sighed, “I trust Kiana, but I can’t deny I’m struggling just letting the wounded wait around like this…”

A gauntleted hand firmly, but comfortingly, gripped her shoulder. Durandal locked eyes with Theresa and flashed her a confident smile.

“So,” Senti began again, “When do you think she’s gonna start glowing again?”

Silence.

Everyone’s eyes were on Kiana. A beat. And then two. Kiana remained the same.

“Tch.” Senti frowned in disappointment. “Dammit, I thought I’d have good timing there…”

The attention on Kiana was temporarily stolen as a new voice spoke out from behind the former Herrscher. “Heh, I didn’t expect to find you keeping everyone’s spirits up, Senti.”

Theresa spun, eyes wide, and immediately pointed an accusing finger at the newcomers. “You!!! You’re supposed to be in bed!” Her finger then jumped to the woman assisting her friend to walk. “And you! Why are you helping her?!”

Fu Hua smiled apologetically. “Well, Mei has always been rather stubborn when it comes to Kiana.”

Durandal raised an amused eyebrow, “That’s putting it lightly.”

A few of the valkyries still standing cried out in relief. “Professor Raiden! You’re alright!”

Mei smiled softly at her former students. “I’ve been better, but thanks to Kiana I’m still standing.”

Mei and Fu Hua shuffled towards the kneeling white-haired woman and she directed her attention back to Theresa. “My core may be dormant, but it’s still sensitive to Honkai energy. How could I stay in bed while feeling my wife building up energy like this?” Fu Hua and Mei came to a stop a few steps away from the woman. The former Herrscher of Origin scanned the area, her brow furrowing as she took in the dead and injured Valkyries. Her gaze eventually fell back on her wife with a curious tilt to her head. “What is she trying to do?” She murmured.

“I-” Theresa hesitantly began.

“She said… she wanted to help…” A sniffling voice came from Kiana's side. An obviously distraught Valkyrie raised her head to meet Mei’s eyes. “Her eyes started glowing and then she closed them. The air got heavy and all the purple on her started glowing but then… it all faded…”

“How long ago?”

“Uh…” The girl faltered and looked up to a disgruntled girl standing across from Kiana and the fallen Valkyrie she seemed to be attending to.

The girl (who must be the team leader, if Mei had to guess) exhaled a sharp, annoyed breath. “It’s been about fifteen minutes and there’s been nothing since she did her little eye trick.”

“Heh, it might seem like nothing’s happening, but it was more than just a little light show, I assure you.”

The girl looked Mei up and down for a moment before sighing heavily. “I suppose if anyone knows what this lady is capable of it’d be the one that walked up calling her her wife.”

“Do you really not recognize Professor Raiden?” One of the other Valkyries piped up.

“Of course I do.” She bit back. “I would think it’d be obvious I’m not really in the mood for the hero worship you all seem to love so much right now.”

“Girls, please.” Fu Hua admonished.

Mei placed her free hand over the hand Fu Hua had slung around her shoulders. “It’s okay, Hua.” She locked eyes with the cold stare of the valkyrie captain. “She was important to you, yes?”

The woman nodded sharply.

“Kiana knows what it is like to fight for a loved one and lose them like this too…” Mei closed her eyes, one could only imagine what memories she must be flashing behind those closed eyelids. No one at St. Freya was a stranger to the part in the Honkai War Raiden Mei had played. The parts Theresa had let be officially published, at least. After a few moments her violet irises revealed themselves once more, accompanied by what the weakened woman could muster for a confident smile. “And that’s why I know that when Kiana Kaslana promises to help someone fight for their loved ones, she will do everything in her power to keep that promise.” She chuckled softly. “And everything in her power is quite a lot indeed.” Many of the Valkyries gazed at her with a newfound interest. After all, it wasn’t often they got to hear the great Professor Raiden speak about the Moon Goddess.

The girl kneeling next to Kiana attempted to dry her still wet eyes. “You speak from experience, don’t you?”

Fu Hua cut in. “Lets not push into their private affairs now.”

“It’s alright, Hua.” Another squeeze of the ancient warrior’s hand helped placate her friend’s worry. “When we were students, she was much the same but more… foolhardy. She believed it was her duty to save everyone. The Kaslana oath, she called it. She always told me her father said that it was an honor to fight for your loved ones. To stop at nothing to protect the world. To become a shield.”

This time it was Fu Hua who released a short laugh. “Kaslanas are self-sacrificing to a fault, and Kiana is no different, though at least she’s not so terrible about it now.”

“I’ve heard stories.” The Valkyrie captain spoke. Her eyes gazed into Mei’s with an intense sharpness. As if searching for something. “About how Kaslanas are headstrong, brash and stubborn to a fault. Irritating, dangerous, and seemingly suicidal in battle, more likely to get you killed than anything else with the stunts they pull.” One of the other Valkyries began to open her mouth, an affronted look plastered over her face. Though before she could say anything, the woman held a hand up to stop her and continued. “But also the best friend someone could have. Someone who’ll always have your back, even if it might be to their detriment.” The girl shrugged. “You can never trust stories too much though. I figured all this amazing, world saving self-sacrificing bullshit was mostly exaggerated to make them look more noble. The only thing shit like that accomplishes is make their families and friends lose a loved one.”

Mei let out an amused huff. “You know, I’ve felt much the same after seeing what internalizing that way of thinking did to Kiana.” Her eyes grew lidded with a heavy sadness, lingering on the still unmoving Herrscher. “She wanted to save the world, but believed it her duty to stand alone while doing so. It almost did kill her, just like so many Kaslanas before her.” 

“Well she must’ve done something right if she’s still here then, yeah?”

She shared a glance with Fu Hua. “She did.”

The celestial held her gaze for a moment. “You sure you’re alright? You usually don’t speak about these things so much.”

Mei hesitated. “You might be right.” She pushed a hint of amusement into her voice. “That’s probably enough personal information for now.” The valkyries around her seemed to deflate a little, sheepish, ashamed looks on their face. 

As if waiting for the right moment, it was at that second that the honkai fused with Kiana’s body exploded into a brilliant light, causing the group of wounded Valkyries to take several startled steps back as they were nearly blinded.

Senti threw her hands into the air. “Oh so when I do it, I’m left hanging, but when it’s Mei -”

Senti hardly had time to get out her complaint before the air around them seemed to crack like glass. Kiana’s face twisted into a pained grimace as the air grew heavy.

Theresa's footing wobbled. “Durandal…”

Before anyone could react, the light emanating from Kiana seemed to sink into the ground before expanding through it, lighting up the entire area with an amethyst circle of power. Durandal had barely blinked when there was a deep rumble that shook the women to their very bones. An ear piercing crack of shattering glass echoed through St. Freya as the light then exploded upwards. The light seemed to whip at their hair and battlesuits like wind, though their feet remained firmly planted to the ground. The low rumble began increasing in pitch though the chaos and made the sound increasingly difficult to focus on, like trying to pick out a random conversation from a talkative crowd. The intensity of the light was blinding, and seemed to only grow more and more until the whole world went white. The echoing sound of an ethereal whale call shook the world around them and bounced around their skulls.

Then all at once everything stopped.

The sudden silence was so jarring Theresa nearly stumbled to the floor as her eyes readjusted. Durandal's armored hand was the only thing that kept the principal from a rather embarrassing fall.

The murmurs and incredulous groans of the other valkyries remained the only sound for a few moments. Until the rustling of cloth and gasping of breath all around them cut through their words like a knife through air.

“ANIKA!!” The girl next to Kiana shrieked and grabbed at the body on the floor, tears streaming down her face.

Only, as Theresa and her friends looked closer…

“No fucking way…” Senti exclaimed in a low voice.

Every Valkyrie not currently busy with Anika hurriedly turned and ran their gazes over the rest of the makeshift medical area. Slowly, stiffly, bodies began sitting up, raising limbs, calling out confusedly. All things that should have been… impossible. A chaotic rumble of footsteps heralded the mad dash of Valkyries running back to their squadmates’ sides. Shouts of incredulous amazement raced through the air quickly followed by exclamations and sobs of joy.

All eyes snapped back to the head of white hair slowly rising as a certain woman carefully got back to her feet.

“Kiana, you…” It was rare indeed for Durandal to be at a loss for words. “How?”

Kiana stood in silence for a moment. She slouched in exhaustion and the usual luster of her eyes was faded and unfocused, as if her focus was still a million miles away. “Once their soul dissipates… one cannot be brought back to life.” Kiana began softly. “The world allows a mind to find another matching vessel. But does not allow a vessel to gather the pieces of a mind…” Her friends approached closer. Kiana's eyes remained distant. But the stars of Finality within them seemed to shine as bright as a star, “I felt these words hewn into the imaginary space of the Tree, a mere fleeting thought that echoes eternally just as the words themselves echo the ultimate law of the Imaginary Tree.” Kiana's chest heaved as she paused to gulp down breath after breath, as if she had just run a marathon. A shaky arm lifted up to brush the gleaming beads of sweat from her brow, “But the Honkai…” Her eyes glowed softly. “We hate being restrained by laws. So we… circumvented it. And I used the almighty Tree itself to guide their minds home.” Kiana was still panting but found it in herself to glance at her family and lover and shoot a small smile, “It was almost too late for some of them. But I made it. I kept-” Kiana wavered, stumbling as she tried to turn to look at the other valkyries. “I kept my promise- Hngh!”

The woman doubled over, her face pinched in pain, her gasping growing more and more labored.

“Kiana?!” Mei practically lept from Fu Hua's arms to grab her wife's shoulders and look her over frantically. “Kiana what's wrong?!”

“I don't…” Kiana wheezed. “Something’s wrong with my core…” Her face twisted in pain. “The Imaginary energy… Nnnggghh! It burns…” A sound like glass cracking drew her attention downwards. “Oh shit…” The other Valkyries looked on in horror as bright golden fissures cracked open along the hands and forearms of the Moon Goddess.

“Kiana?!” Mei's voice was shaking with fear, but she refused to let the woman go. “Kiana what's happening?!”

“I think-” More cracks. The fissures of gold were now lighting up the black tattoos on her body and spiderwebbing outwards. “I may have fucked up. Just a little.” Mei was forced to let go as Kiana groaned in pain once more and dropped to her hands and knees.

DONG!

The incredible sound of a massive bell echoed through the skies. The deep reverberations of its ring announced its presence with all the grand glory of thunder shaking the sky, and an all encompassing dread settled within all who listened. A golden light in the shape of a cog bloomed into existence under Kiana. The Valkyries hastily moved back, Hua easily dragging Mei away. More cogs formed high in the sky, though these ones took on the appearance of real objects. Metallic, interlaced connections, and slowly ticking away like a clock. Their haphazard appearance was an afterthought to the women as massive clock hands appeared below the cogs above Kiana but so high none could hope to reach them. Matching hands whirled to life underneath Kiana, mirroring the ones in the sky. They ticked forwards, their light suddenly intensified as another frightening toll of that unseen bell shook the sky. Imaginary energy distorted the air around their friend.

And Kiana screamed.

Chapter Text

Golden fire was boiling through her veins. Every turn of the clock hands in the sky prompted a similar response from the golden one imprinted beneath her and triggered another ripple of Imaginary energy around her. At the same time a bout of searing pain would shoot through her body and the golden cracks would stretch just a little further. 

“KIANA!”

“Mei, wait!”

“Fu Hua, let me go!”

She heard the voices. She could almost understand what they were saying. But they sound so… so far away. Muffled, like hearing an argument from behind a closed door. The world beyond the border set by the cog beneath her was blurred, shifting rapidly through the waterfall of imaginary energy pressing down on her. Even the frantic wailing of the Cocoon was being drowned out by the sheer strength of the energy bearing down on her. 

DONG!

Another ring of the bell and the weight upon her increased exponentially. As did the intensity of the imaginary energy in the air around her. The pain racing through her body intensified along with the cracks breaking her body apart even more.

Another pained scream ripped through her gritted teeth. Her arms shook with the strain of keeping her up against the incredible pressure. So great was the force, the only thought occupying her mind was a desperate instinct to fight for all she was worth.

She instinctively drew upon her powers. Her strength. Only for… nothing. Kiana’s eyes widened. The imaginary singularity allowing her and the Cocoon to draw on the power of imaginary space and convert it into Honkai energy refused to respond. Or rather, the imaginary energy rushing through it refused to bend to her will. Every time she tried it felt like trying to stop a rapidly moving rope with her bare hands. It hurt . And even if it didn’t hurt, if she gripped for long enough it felt like something would then bat her hands away.

DONG!

The fabric of reality was beginning to strain under the immense power assaulting Kiana Kaslana. Cracks appeared in the sky, more golden light leaking into the world. A roaring wail shook the earth. Something was pressing against the barrier between dimensions.The greater the cracks in reality grew, the more the golden cracks along her body burned. The more… she felt something getting closer. A searing gaze that seemed to cast judgment with an almost unconcerned, disappointed glance, a glance that held an incalculable coldness that shivered through the Herrscher's bones. The Cocoon’s wails of fear grew in pitch, its attempts to cut off this flow of imaginary energy through its and Kiana’s singularity failing miserably. An all consuming sense of wrongness settled into her body like a shivering icy chill. The vague sense of dread had clung to her like a cloud when she had first returned to her body- and was now multiplied tenfold into an overbearing certainty- settled over her shoulders like a shroud, as if in confirmation that she was right.

She could only hope the others were being spared.

DONG!

Kiana’s screams grated against her raw throat like sandpaper, her voice cracking just like her body as the pieces of her arms cracked apart by the golden light finally shattered apart. They floated in the air close to their original position between her hands and upper arms, held there and orbiting like satellites around where her bone should be. Instead ethereal purple Honkai energy swirled between and around the fractured mess that used to be her forearm. Where she expected to see a gorey mess of blood, bones, and sinew, she saw only pure energy. The swirling purple honkai energy of her body was met with pure, golden imaginary energy arcing from piece to piece like lightning. Her voice completely failed her, so terrible was the sight.

The vague realization that her arms were somehow still supporting her weight paled in comparison to the pressure building in the sky. Her body was beginning to succumb to the massive forces arrayed against her as each bell tolled with a frightening anticipation. Her muscles burned and what remained of her limbs shook from the strain of keeping her body up. The low rumbling of its arrival slowly faded away as an intense high-pitched ringing overtook her hearing. The Herrscher fought against the creeping darkness of unconsciousness as the energy around her pressed harder and harder. Her eyes defiantly focused on an otherwise insignificant spot on the ground. Her head spun wildly and Kiana was certain that if she let her focus waver she would get swept away by this torrent of imaginary energy. As she fought to hold herself up despite the crushing pressure, a small, coin sized drop of red splashed into the ground right below the spot she had decided to focus on. And then another drop. And then another.

Kiana struggled to raise her head enough to get the cracks in the sky into the edge of her vision again, grunting and panting from the titanic effort it required. The taste of iron dripped across her lips as she finally got it into her sight. A pained grin shakily spread across her face.

She tried to speak, but all she could get out was a breathy, single note laugh as she forced the air out of her lungs. She could feel the drops from her bloody nose staining her teeth now as she tried to maintain that defiant smile. She kept her eyes locked onto the cracks in the sky as they grew in the air like an infection.

Until with a final ear splitting cry, the sky shattered.

Kiana was immediately forced to drop to her elbows- or what was left of them. Her head fell forwards, eyes scrunched shut and teeth grit against a sudden piercing pain that shot right through her skull. It wasn't the crushing pain of the energy around her, nor the sharpness she felt when Mei was injured. This was like fingers jabbing into her head, little pinpricks rifling around her mind and yanking out pieces only to put them back after a moment like papers being filed. And every bit of it sent a corresponding ripple of intense pain that would have had her writhing on the ground in agony if her muscles hadn't locked up in defiance of the crushing weight bearing down upon her.

Her attempts to bring to bear all the training she had undergone with Senti and Fu Hua to defend her mind were swatted away with barely a thought. Against this foe, the power of the Herrscher of Finality was naught. She was nothing but an insect feebly smashing against something so much more than she could possibly understand. She refused to give this thing the satisfaction of screaming. The taste of iron filled her mouth, another pained cry held back.

She understood, of course, that on some level something the previous era and Otto could not figure out properly, something that the Cocoon actively avoided, likely came with consequences far greater than an ordinary mortal could bear to pay.

And so she understood, just as she had ever since she took up the mantle as Earth's protector and Queen of the Honkai, that it was something she had to do regardless. If only because her loved ones put so much faith in her ability to succeed. She had to be the one to shoulder the burden, because no one else could.

Would Mei scold her? Her arms gripping her tightly and hot, stinging tears burning against Kiana's bare shoulder as she rightfully admonished Kiana for falling back into her old Kaslana habits?

Would Bianka give her that look of disappointment? The one that always fell away into a loving smile as she silently aided her sister, instead of berating her for not taking care of herself?

Would Fu Hua still give her that knowing, sympathetic look? The one that carried with it such kindness but a deep melancholy as well, the same one the celestial gave her in Arc city?

Her papa's comforting arm on her shoulder as he laughed and gave her advice that would probably send Theresa into a fit of rage?

Theresa… Kiana's clenched eyes tensed harder at the thought of her Aunt. She'd been the one to ask if this was possible. If Kiana could help where no others could. “Please don't blame yourself for whatever's about to happen to me.” The desperate wish echoed into her mind. Shouting, laden with the hope that her dear Aunt would somehow hear.

A single drop of wetness slid from beneath her eyelids before quickly being torn apart by the torrent of imaginary energy pouring around her. Were her efforts to aid her fellow humans always destined to end in heartbreak and pain?

Whatever her thoughts on the matter were, they were scattered to the wind as unseen claws grated across her very mind and finally pulled a horrible scream of inhuman pain from the Herrscher's lungs. Something was rifling through her entire being like it was paper. Searching, learning, judging . She could not stand against it. Could not stop this assault on her mind. She could do naught but struggle to hold herself up as her body was beaten and broken by a holy, golden light. It burned her eyes, even through her clenched eyelids. She’d only ever seen this light in one place, and its appearance here and now made the icy claw of terror dig deep into the Herrscher of Finality. 

The glow of the Imaginary Tree had been a glorious thing, beheld by a Goddess that could comprehend the myriad of energies and worlds cradled by its branches and fed by its roots. Whole galaxies had swirled before her like fruits she could have simply reached out and plucked from their branches to cradle in her Honkai stained hands. The wonder that reflected in her eyes was held in stark contrast to the harsh beams that now bore down upon her pained form. Her body was numb, yet somehow still holding itself up. The thought flitted by and disappeared, quickly brushed away by the pain continuing to wrack her mind.

It felt like eternity had passed by the time her focus began to waver. Her forehead met the cracked and shattered ground beneath her, fragments of stone digging into her skin until the imaginary energy pressing against her made them draw blood. Darkness was edging into her vision no matter how she fought against it. The overwhelming pressure from both out and within was still slowly breaking her apart like ceramic clenched in an iron fist. The golden spider webbing of cracks inched their way up her body, crawling up her neck like a corruption seeping into her veins. Without warning a force seized her body, wrenching her upright and forcing her arms to swing outwards. Spread apart at 90 degrees, she was not even afforded the dignity of attempting to shield herself with her shattered limbs. Her body was pulled backwards until she was held up on her knees, her torso angled like somebody had caught her as she fell backwards. The bright gold bathing the area around her burned her eyes with all the glory of a star. Kiana kept her teeth grit against the pain and stared into the light pouring through dimensions in defiance, though unbelievable pain still wracked her mind and her body. A little more pain was nothing. Not compared to everything she went through to get here.

Flashes of memory darted across her mind. Some flew past too quickly for her to get more than a vague feeling. But others… Nagazora. St. Freya. Bronya. Mei. Himeko. Arc City. Fu Hua. The memories of Sirin still buried safely inside the void core that was now complete, a part of the Cocoon of Finality just as much as the Cocoon was a part of her. Just as Sirin was a part of her. And then there was Mount Taixuan. The Theatre of Domination. The Moon. All these things were a part of her. Part of what made the human named Kiana Kaslana. And yet they were nothing. For what are memories without the emotion and growth that results from those same memories? It was not some cold data that could be studied like a file on a computer. Not if one was to understand the bearer of said memories. Not if one was to understand Kiana Kaslana. All of this was laid bare before a cold golden light in the shape of a mighty tree. It took shape in the light of the shattered wall between dimensions as if to meet her glare of defiance. The fingers prying into her mind hesitated for just a moment. Within seconds they began rifling through her mind with newfound purpose. Pinpoints of blinding pain dug into her skull much more focused than before. A vague idea began to take shape through the pain.

Who was she?

“I am…” Kiana struggled to force the words from her throat. She gasped in pain and barely managed to continue pushing, “Kiana… Kaslana…” She hissed as another flare of pain caused her vision to go black for a brief moment, the woman fighting valiantly to keep her vision in focus. “I-” Another pause as the Herrscher struggled to fill her lungs with enough air to speak, “I am-” She hesitated. The golden light before her seemed to flicker expectantly. What was she? To her people? To a being such as the one before her? The title of “Goddess” was thrown aside in frustration just as quickly as it crawled from the recesses of her mind. A protector? Defender? Protecting humanity had only been possible due to the myriad of people that had worked alongside her towards this goal. She was nothing without them. To claim such a responsibility as being singularly hers seemed- in her opinion- to be disgusting, unwarranted arrogance. She was Kiana Kaslana, the one her allies said would lead them forward into a better tomorrow. But a lone star she was not. Even now, they all helped her pave the path forward.

“I am… one who guides humanity.” She grunted out. Her declaration was not nearly as smooth as she would have liked, nor as dramatic as declaring herself should be. Yet one had to make due with the situation they found themselves in. The Imaginary Tree seemed to pulse. An incredible wave of imaginary energy rammed into her, and with it another sharp pain behind her eyes. Images, feelings, concepts, so many things rushed through her mind. So many things she failed to grasp in that moment. So many things the Imaginary Tree… needed her to understand. It was too much. Too much information. Too much pain. It seemed as if this stream of information was eroding her very psyche.

Too much too much too muchtoomuchtoomuchtoomuch- the resulting scream echoed through the earth with the pained whale song of Finality.

Her world went black.

And yet the golden light still shone in her vision. In her mind. Like a watchful eye ever trained on her form. A warning. It seemed to flicker as if speaking. Like a candle flame held before murmuring lips. And yet she could not hear it.

And in the next moment, it too blinked out. And blissful oblivion finally took her.

When the light and imaginary constructs finally blinked out of existence, Kiana had collapsed like one of the Legion Herrscher's puppets without its string. They had been scared to approach her form long after the terrifying light tearing her apart had winked out of existence. If Kiana's near inhuman screams mere seconds before weren't discouraging enough, the hole torn in reality had yet to fully heal, the imaginary energy leaking through serving as a barrier to ward off anyone that would dare attempt to retrieve Kiana. Bianka had tried, and was quickly forced to retreat and inject neutralizing serum as her Battlesuit's attempts to adapt began overloading her body with Honkai Energy. And so there she lay. They could only observe in horror as, now that the shimmering of Imaginary energy no longer scrambled the sight of her, they could finally see and record some of the damage done to Kiana's body. The sound of Mei’s sobs when she saw the pictures of her beloved's mysteriously shattered forearms would haunt those near for weeks.

For hours the valkyries of St. Freya debated and schemed how best to rescue the Moon Goddess from where she lay shrouded in invisible golden energy. For a full hour, Fu Hua and Bianka had to hold Raiden Mei back from attempting to break through to her beloved despite the dangers.

That was until, as if deciding they had been forced to wait long enough, the fabric of reality rapidly healed over the course of a few seconds and the shroud of vicious energy surrounding Kiana disappeared like so much smoke.

The instant they had confirmed their instruments’ readings were accurate, there was no stopping Mei. The Valkyrie nearly stumbled on the circle of shattered stone surrounding Kiana as she ran to her side, so complete was the stone's destruction. The woman dropped to her knees and gingerly held her wife's shoulders, the unconscious Kiana's face still twisted in a shadow of unbelievable torment. She whispered comforts to her lover, promises to keep her safe, that she was here now. Fu Hua and Bianka helped Mei and a medical team cautiously pick Kiana up and get her onto a stretcher for transport into the nearby hospital. The healed Valkyries could only watch helplessly as their savior was rushed inside.

Mei rushed away with them, determined to not leave Kiana’s side.

The Overseer’s office was quiet except for the sound of pen against paper. Theresa’s jaw ached with dull pain from hours of anxious tensing, the woman demanding every relevant scientist they had available go over the readings picked up by various instruments around St. Freya and explain to her exactly what had just happened to her niece. And even those that weren’t. Nagamitsu, Tesla, Einstein, all were pulled back to St. Freya to analyze the remnants of the force that had so thoroughly assaulted Kiana. Dark circles had made their home under her eyes despite the Valkyries that had witnessed the event doing everything in their power to ease her burdens. Every valkyrie had to be checked for any abnormalities from exposure to the force that had barraged Kiana. The very Earth itself had to be checked and double checked and then triple checked for anything that would render the area inhospitable to human life. It would take weeks, perhaps even months, to accomplish this as well as repair the damage caused by the honkai beast attack.

Theresa sighed and set aside yet another stack of paperwork regarding the instrumental readings recorded for “The Breach”, as the valkyrie squads that had witnessed the event had taken to calling it. It had been a full day since the Breach and a  few hours since Kiana had been properly moved to the main medical wing, the hospital building Mei had been treated in and Kiana had originally been taken to now under repairs. Theresa desperately needed rest, but sleep would not hold her in its velvety embrace.

Theresa sighed, placing the paperwork to the side as she stood, staring for a moment at her  empty office. Well, empty besides one other, “Amber, I’m going to see how Kiana’s doing. Please contact me if anything else insane happens while I’m gone.” The diminutive woman hopped off her chair and quickly moved to the door.

Amber bowed, “Of course, Theresa.”

Theresa stopped at the door, her hand hesitating on the handle, “You know, if you'd like,” she began gently, “You can come visit too.”

Amber almost seemed taken aback by the offer, though the visor she always wore obscured a generous portion of her face. “I… Thank you for the offer, Theresa, but I… I will stay here and keep an eye on things.”

Theresa nodded, acquiescing to the woman's wishes, “If you decide differently later, I'm sure the others will welcome you. Take care, Amber.”

The woman smiled at her counterpart and left the room in steps laden with exhaustion. She couldn't help the smile that remained on her face far longer than usual. It had taken her several years to get Amber to use just her name instead of constant titles while it was just the two of them, and now she treasured every instance it happened. While the modified clone of Kallen her grandfather had used as a servant had come far under Theresa's more… caring guidance, she was still quite hesitant to accept Theresa's offers to join non-work activities . Oh well. One day. Theresa shook her head, her full smile fading to more of a closed lipped grin as her mind began moving to other things.

It took a good ten minutes to travel from her office to the medical wing where the best doctors at Shicksal’s disposal were attempting to treat Kiana’s injuries. Though, if the reports she’d been seeing were anything to go by, they were having trouble even identifying what said injuries had done to her in the first place, even with Tesla and Einstein's help. The moment Theresa stepped into the wing proper a doctor was already upon her, tablet in hand. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as the expected sanitized smell of the place hit her senses.

“Overseer! We were not expecting you so soon!”

Theresa waved him off, “I’m not here on official business. I’m just here to visit my niece.” She kept walking, fighting to keep the annoyance off her face when the doctor fell in step beside her.

“But did you read our reports? Your niece is the biggest official business since the end of the Honkai War!”

Theresa let out a sharp exhale of annoyance. “I skimmed them, but deeper reading will take more time than I have right now with everything else that is also demanding my attention. I know enough to know she’s stable and apparently safe. Why, did something happen?”

“Well… Not really, it’s just-”

“Not really?” Theresa growled.

The man grimaced, “We’ve been running every test we know of to try and figure out what those waves of imaginary energy might have done with her, but they’re all turning up nothing! Her body is no longer falling apart- in fact it’s healing faster than anything we’ve ever seen, her brain activity is completely normal according to previous data on the Herrscher of Finality, no honkai infection from an energy overload despite the levels in her body being so large our instruments can’t properly measure it! However she’s still unconscious and we haven’t been able to wake her.”

“As long as she's still stable.” The pair stopped in front of Kiana's room. “Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to visit her alone . If you simply must drag me back to work, do it after I come out and not a moment sooner. Got it?”

“Y-yes Overseer,” the man stammered. He gave a small bow and scurried away.

Theresa took a deep breath, releasing a weary sigh. She puffed up, bracing herself with a determined frown before pushing open the door. She allowed it to click shut, taking no small solace in the door blocking out much of the noise from the busy corridor. Now there was only the sound of quiet conversation and the beeps of the monitoring machines. Even having just entered, it was obvious Kiana was still not awake. Theresa’s eyes darted to the woman’s exposed arms. Some time after she had been brought into the Honkai treatment ward her forearms had pieced themselves back together, leaving softly glowing golden scars snaking up to just under her elbows like broken glass. The rest of her body was covered in similar scars, though the rest appeared as regular discolored scar tissue instead of retaining their own inner light. Theresa bit her lip, gaze hardening as her eyes traced the spider webbing of scars that crawled all the way up to the crook of her neck.

Tesla, Einstein, and their supporting staff watched from a separate observation room separated from where Kiana lay by reinforced glass bordered with honkai absorbent panels where they could be protected from abnormalities but still monitor their unconscious patient. Less concerned about possible honkai anomalies were the people sitting at a small table set next to Kiana’s bed. There were five crowded around the table, with another leaning against the wall nearby. Theresa nodded a greeting to Bianka, the valkyrie standing with crossed arms. While the woman seemed to be relaxing, leaning against the wall as she was, those that knew her could see her crossed arms and tensed muscles were anything but. At the table sat Mei (of course) nibbling at a sandwich along with Bronya and a few old friends.

Theresa smiled softly at the new faces, “Hello Seele. And Seele.” The blue and red women smiled and nodded sharply respectively. Theresa shifted to the final occupant of the table, her voice immediately taking on a more displeased tone, “Oh. Hello Seigfried.”

Kiana’s father chuckled, “Come now, Theresa! Is that any way to greet an old friend?”

“I’m just surprised you were sober enough for someone to contact you about your daughter.” Theresa deadpanned.

Siegfried grimaced, “Come on, Teri, I’ve been doing better!”

Theresa slumped, another weary sigh overtaking her, “Yeah… at least you’re here now. Sorry.”

“Damn,that bad, huh?” The sound of the plastic chair grinding against the tile floor grated against her ears as Seigfried stood. Theresa barely had time to react as the much taller man suddenly bent down, wrapped his arms under hers and around her and lifted her clear off the floor. “Looks like someone needs a hug!”

Theresa yelped as her feet left the ground, her flailing arms quickly swinging to pound against any part of Seigfried they could reach. “Seigfried! Put me down this instant you buffoon!” Theresa’s struggles only grew as Seigfried’s laughter was joined by the giggles of Bianka and Seele. Resorting to the most powerful defense at her disposal, Theresa grabbed ahold of the man’s ponytail and started pulling.

“Ow ow ow ow! Not the hair! Teri- gah! Bianka, help!” It took only a moment for Seigfried’s grip on her to release, the diminutive woman letting go of his hair and dropping back to her feet with a huff.

Bianka only raised an amused eyebrow, “Papa, you were kind of asking for it, bear hugging Theresa like that.”

Siegfried groaned, biting back a grimace as he fixed his ponytail, “Anyways…” He eyed Theresa before shrugging towards Kiana, “You’re dropping by to check on her, right?”

Theresa nodded and watched out of the corner of her eye as Bronya whispered something to Mei and stood to join them. The monotonous beeping of the machines monitoring Kiana marked out a tempo like a metronome counting the seconds as they stood by Kiana’s bedside.

“I read the reports they’ve been sending about what they could find about Kiana’s condition,” Theresa began.

“And that they can’t find anything explicitly wrong with her besides the healed external damage?” Bronya finished.

Theresa nodded, “It’s almost like when Mei was unconscious, except for those scars and that the ones on her arms are still glowing. And the fact that the honkai levels in her body are even more off the charts than they already were as the Herrscher of Finality.”

“She must still be there somewhere if she’s keeping any of it from leaking out.”

“Did Senti try to find anything?”

Bronya sighed, “She’s refusing to enter her consciousness after what happened with Mei.”

“Understandable, I suppose…”

A soft, exhausted voice met their ears, causing the group to turn to the speaker, “All we can do right now is wait, and believe in her.” Mei added quietly.

Theresa’s lips flattened into a grim line. As much as she hated it, Mei was right. As it stood, they were powerless. The diminutive woman tenderly brushed some messy bangs out of the unconscious woman’s face. “Come back to us, Kiana.”

Chapter Text

Kiana was floating. No… falling? Everything felt… slow. Strange. Like she was both present and somewhere far away at the same time. A tingling in her limbs accompanied the strange feeling of watching her own body as if a passenger in her own mind. A strange… detached feeling. She could just make out the great eye of the Cocoon of Finality watching over her in the corner of her vision. Yet she could not hear it. At least, not clearly. Anything besides the muffled calls of the Cocoon were simply… absent. The comforting deep hum of honkai energy that always surrounded her when she was with the cocoon was just… gone. The cocoon wailed at her every so often, but try as she might she couldn't force out a response. What was she doing here? Was she dreaming? But she hadn’t dreamed since… since she became the Herrscher of Finality… Her face scrunched slightly in concentration as her thoughts struggled to drift through her murky memories like a fly struggling through honey.

She remembered… gold?

Her arm flinched.

She remembered golden fire burning through her veins, the phantom of its memory managing to pull a hiss from between her teeth. Her biceps flexed, her body reflexively straining against the miasma drowning her senses. There was a faint glimmer of imaginary energy suffusing this thick atmosphere surrounding her. The Herrscher grit her teeth as her senses stretched out towards that faint stream of energy. Like reaching out an invisible hand, she struggled to reach closer. Until she was able to just barely brush those mental fingers against the stream of energy. Her grunt of exertion echoed through the silent space until she finally managed to hook her “fingers” around the stream of energy and pull it into her grip. In her mind's eye, she pulled on that golden energy until it shifted direction. Flowing into her body the stream grew corrupted with a familiar purple hue. Like she was finally taking a deep breath after struggling underwater much too long, she felt as if life had been breathed into her as newly converted Honkai energy flowed into her. It was slow. But it was enough. The fog cloaking her mind slowly began to dissipate, the Cocoon’s whale song growing clearer and clearer in her mind.

Her memories flew through her mind almost faster than she could register them. The golden cogs. The cracks in the sky. The ringing bell. The Tree . At least, those ones were clear. When she tried to remember before that she felt a too familiar stabbing pain in her head. The Cocoon wailed, it’s great eye flashing with power. Kiana’s own eyes followed suit, and a burst of Honkai energy suffused her body, infusing her with a familiar strength so quickly it almost made her nauseous, like getting dizzy from taking a deep breath of clean air for the first time in days. Awareness of her body came flooding back like the tide, pushing a gasp of pain from her lungs. She reached for the Cocoon as it wailed once more, its cries echoing louder in her mind. Faster and faster and growing more and more comprehensible her memories rushed back through her mind one little piece at a time until-

Her eyes snapped open.

The pain was immediate. Her body ached more than she ever thought a body could ache. Not even when her body had been falling apart from Honkai infection had she experienced such a feeling of unraveling as she had felt in the hospital courtyard that night. Bright lights burned at her eyes and she instinctively screwed them back shut.

“Dim the lights!” A voice whispered.

The burning against her eyelids lessened and she chanced opening them to the world once more. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust but as she blinked the rest of the fog away, familiar faces slowly came into focus above her.

“Kiana-chan!”

“Oof!” The air was almost immediately squeezed back out of her lungs as a pair of muscled arms encircled her and squeezed. “H-hey- M-Mei- owowow!”

Mei quickly pulled back, but kept her hands on Kiana. One she left on her shoulder, the other cupping her bicep. “Sorry! Are you… okay?”

Kiana sank deeper into her pillow. “Everything kinda hurts.” She croaked. A moment later she hissed in pain and clenched her eyes shut. “My head is killing me…” Her eyes snapped open and darted around at the others gathered around her until they landed on the person standing opposite of Mei. “Papa?”

“Hey there, babygirl.” Siegfried smiled, relief creasing his eyes. His calloused hand gently stroked his daughter’s hair, Kiana subtly relaxing into the touch.

Bronya gestured at Kiana with her chin, “How’re the arms?”

Kiana stared at her blankly for a moment before snapping her arms up to get a good look, accidentally getting a startled yelp from Mei with the speed at which she moved. Kiana stared for a moment, rotating her arms and taking in the same sights Theresa had noted in her own observations. She tested her forearms with an unbelieving grip, moving up and down the limb in disbelief. Tracing over the scars with her finger also failed to elicit the sting of pain she seemed to be expecting. The inner light of these new scars seemed to gradually grow in intensity as they met the areas of her arm and hand that were stained with Honkai energy, going from a dimly glowing strip of gold to a bright and pronounced otherworldly wound against the dark purple of her hands.

“I seem… alright? If I can say that after watching my arms split apart.” Kiana shrugged. She gave her arms another once over, missing the concerned glance the woman sent to the doctors in the observation room.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” Seele said softly.

“Next time try not to do something so stupid.” Frowned her counterpart.

“Heh.” Kiana sunk down deeper into her pillow, “I’ll try not to get fucked up so bad next time.”

“Kiana.” Mei’s grip tightened. “Next time?”

“U-uh I mean,” Kiana winced, “Well, there won’t be a next time anyways.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was…” Kiana let out a small grunt of discomfort as she pushed herself into a more upright position, “What happened was a… warning.” She paused to take in a shuddering breath. The room itself seemed to hold its breath as the Herrscher’s eyes dropped to the golden veins snaking up her arm. “It… hurt. I broke the ultimate law. So I was punished.” She sighed, hollow eyes darting around the worried faces surrounding her, “I can’t do this ever again. I don’t even know if the lives I saved will stay saved. I hope so. But the thing that spoke to me was… furious.”

Her friends and family could only look on with worried eyes as Kiana's hollow eyes stared off into space.

After a moment Mei gently squeezed her wife's shoulder, “I am happy that you're still here with me- with us.” She corrected herself sheepishly. Half hearted laughter from the others echoed around the room

Kiana's eyes fluttered, as if she was blinking away a fog. The twin stars within seemed to regain a bit of their shine and she leaned against Mei's arm with a sigh, “Yeah. I'm happy I'm still here, too,” She chuckled softly, “We're quite the pair, huh? Im back on Earth for a couple days and we're both having misadventures through dimensions.”

“Getting into trouble will forever remain Kiana idiotka's greatest skill.” Bronya commented.

“She must get it from her dad.” Theresa added.

“Hey now-”

Theresa held up a finger, silencing the older Kaslana before he could finish, “Don't even try to argue with me on that one, Siegfried.”

Seigfried settled for rubbing the back of his head and smiling awkwardly.

“Tch, at least the rest of us didn't get dragged into whatever mad plan she cooked up.” Seele frowned.

Kiana groaned amd rubbed at her forearms, “I'll admit, deciding to do the one thing the Cocoon of Finality really did not want me to do under any circumstances probably wasn't my best idea ever,”  Kiana paused to sink back into her pillows, “But as far as I could tell from the Imaginary targeting me, I am interesting enough that it settled for a warning instead of tearing my existence apart.”

“So this really was just a warning, huh?” Siegfried said quietly.

“Oh yeah,” Kiana grimaced, “I'm gonna have nightmares of the visions it showed me of what happened to the many others that tried what I did for months.”

“Christ, babygirl… I'm so sorry.”

Kiana grinned weakly, “Heh, what kind of Goddess would I be if I couldn't handle a little eldritch horror every once in a while?”

“This isn't funny!” Seele snapped. “Do you know how much you've been worrying Seele and Bronya?!”

Kiana grimaced again, “Yeah, I know, I'm sorry… To be fair it's not like I was planning on getting attacked by a manifestation of the celestial structure-slash-being that creates and holds every full world in existence because it decided I had finally gone too far.”

Seele growled, grinding her teeth and rubbing her forehead as if to soothe a headache, “I fucking swear…”

Anyone else's words were cut off by the hiss of hydraulics as the door to the observation room opened and familiar heads of light blue and red hair tiredly entered the room.

“Alright everyone I think that's enough for today, Kiana's only just woken up after all,” Einstein's voice was gentle, but all present knew better than to try and question an order from the doctor concerning her patient, “Everyone get out and take a break.”

“Mei, you can come back whenever you want, though,” Tesla added, “But you need to get some air too, you've been in here keeping an eye on Kiana for two days straight now.”

“I-” Mei began.

“No!” Tesla cut her off, “No ifs ands or buts.”

Kiana laid a gentle hand where Mei was still protectively clasping her shoulder and gently stroked her thumb against the woman's skin, “It's okay Mei. I'm not gonna go anywhere, I promise. I don't think I'll be recovered enough to use my powers in any real capacity for a bit, so you don't have to worry about me doing something stupid while you're gone.” Kiana's lips twitched upwards as she finished, hoping to impart some measure of comfort.

Thankfully it seemed to work, as Mei's shoulders slumped and she reluctantly nodded in acquiescence, “Okay…”

Kiana gave her hand a squeeze and shot the anxious woman a small, but earnest smile, “I know you're worried about me, but you need to take care of yourself too, babe. Okay? For me?”

“Of course.” Mei gave a small nod. It was hard not to see the wisdom in her wife's words.

Mei was startled out of her contemplation by a muscled arm wrapping around her shoulders, “Don't worry, Kiana,” Fu Hua gave her old friend a sharp nod (and then pushed her glasses back up), “I'll make sure she's taken care of.”

Kiana grinned at Mei's lighthearted moan, “Fu Hua you don't need to fuss over me like I'm a child!”

Fu Hua raised an eyebrow, “Come on, Bronya and the Seele's are waiting.”

“Hua!” Mei whined, “I can take care of myself!”

“Hm.” Was all the celestial said in response.

Kiana watched as the two continued to squabble as Fu Hua led them out the door, until the hiss of hydraulics and a dull clank silenced the room once more, “So how about you two?” She questioned the final two occupants.

Einstein released a weary sigh, “We still have to finish analysing the data on your condition over the last couple of days, then-”

“Shut it mophead, you're missing the most important thing!” Tesla shouted. Einstein held up her hands in surrender and watched as Tesla immediately whirled on Kiana, jabbing a finger at her, “What do you mean you spoke to the Imaginary Tree?!”

The refreshing caress of the night air was a welcome break from the heat of the computer filled observation lab. Fingers tapping against her chin, Einstein had long ago allowed herself to fall deep into contemplation, her mind only vaguely registering the kiss of the breeze against her exposed skin.

“It felt… angry .” Kiana had reiterated her torment hours ago, “ I was being battered, crushed. The moment it broke through it was like reality itself wanted to tear me apart atom by atom. It rifled through my head and every second of it hurt more than anything…” her breath stuttered as she exhaled, “Anything I've ever felt. It was less speaking and more like it was shoving information into my head. A warning that while the Cocoon may possess the power, if Honkai wanted to continue having free reign of its branches we would follow the one rule nobody should break. And there would be no second chances.”

Einstein doubted she would soon forget the queasy feeling in her gut when she saw the scars on Kiana's arms pulse with a golden light at that. The tree was sentient to some degree, it seemed. It had always been a theory among those in a position to study the structure that made up their and many other worlds. Though there had never been any concrete proof to back up such a claim.

Until it kicked down the door and sucker punched the Herrscher of Finality, at least.

The loud clanking of the door to the roof opening and closing finally pulled the doctor from her analytical musings. Though the footsteps approaching were soft and carried an even gait, Ein had spent enough time around these girls she knew there was only one other person that would be coming out into the cold at this hour.

“You're supposed to be in bed.” She stated matter of factly, not even turning around.

“I couldn't sleep.”

“Mei's gonna be worried if she wakes up and you're not in bed.”

Ein finally pulled her eyes away from the twinkling cityscape on the horizon and locked curious eyes on Kiana as she came to a stop next to the scientist. She had taken the liberty of wrapping her blanket around herself like a makeshift coat. No answer seemed forthcoming. “Bad dreams?” She offered again.

Kiana shook her head, “Ein, you know I don't dream anymore ever since I became the Herrscher of Finality.”

Einstein shrugged, “Maybe something changed, who knows?”

Kiana hummed in acceptance of the doctor's point. Silence returned for a moment, the two women simply watching the skyline and listening to the crickets. Eventually Kiana sighed, “I'm not dreaming, but I keep waking up to phantom pains. I doze off and suddenly it's like my forearms are splitting apart again except this time I can feel every excruciating moment,” A heavy exhale punctuated the exhaustion laced through her words, “I don't need sleep. But it sure would be nice right about now. The Cocoon is recovering just as much as I am, I'm sure taking the burden of my consciousness off for even a few hours might help speed up the process a bit.”

“Would that actually work?”

Kiana shrugged, “I don't actually know. But sleeping helps with healing in regular humans, why wouldn't it work for me too?”

Einstein shrugged in return and nodded her head, “A fair enough assumption, I think.”

Ein took a moment to study the girl. Despite the obvious exhaustion in her movements and laden in her voice, Kiana otherwise seemed completely healthy. Though, of course, medical computers couldn't detect troubles of the mind like they could troubles of the body.

“So what's next for Kiana Kaslana?”

Kiana took a moment to take in a deep breath, watching as her exhale formed a light mist, “I am completely unprepared to face the Imaginary on a level above the husks we've previously fought,” She began, “It has shown us a level of danger we could never have predicted before. My journey is far from over,” She finally turned and met Einstein's searching gaze, eyes alight with that comfortingly familiar inner fire, “If I am to be Earth's guardian, I must become strong enough to face down the Imaginary tree itself.”

Einstein smiled. Beaten, yet still bouncing back unbroken. This Kaslana never changed, did she? “I think I have a good idea where we can get you started.”

The Hyperion's transport shuttle skimmed the clouds as it raced across the world back to its mother. While space capable, it did not need to brave such a harsh environment today. After another long exploration mission into the solar system, the Hyperion had finally returned to its home planet and docked at the floating islands that made up Shicksal HQ. And inside was a quite important cargo of four women.

Kiana was now clad in casual wear, deciding that instead of her elegant Herrscher battlesuit she would instead stick with something more comfortable. Her body was adorned with simple jean shorts, a white t-shirt, sneakers, and a cream colored sweater with brown hems that she allowed to hang off one shoulder. With her hair in its usual ponytail, one could be forgiven for mistaking the most powerful woman in the solar system for an ordinary girl if it wasn't for the shining pink stars in her eyes.

Bronya and Mei kept to their usual Battlesuits, both seeming to treat this trip more like another mission than anything else. Meamwhile Theresa was clad in her usual jade and white overseer's outfit.

“Alright, can you girls please just tell me who you're bringing me to see?” Kiana spoke loudly over the rumble of the engines.

“Kiana, don't try to change the subject!” Responded the affronted voice of one Raiden Mei, “Next time you feel the need to go stargazing, wake me up and bring me with you so you don't scare me half to death!”

“But Mei-senpaaaaiiiiiiii,” Kiana whined, “You were out cold! And needed your sleep! I don't need sleep! I was just stepping out to gather my thoughts!”

Bronya watched on disinterestedly. She missed Seele already. Just a little longer until the transport reaches its destination…

“Wake. Me. Up.”

Kiana sighed in defeat, “Yes ma'am…”

“Whipped,” Bronya murmured under her breath.

“Shut the fuck up, Bratnya,” the Herrscher of Finality punctuated her statement by pulling her hands into the sleeves of her cream-colored sweater and flopping the empty sleeves while sticking out her tongue.

“Oi!” A muffled voice from the cockpit halted further bickering, “You two better quiet down back there before I gag you so I can have some peace and quiet before we get to the Hyperion and that woman drives me insane!”

Kiana slumped down in defeat, “Yes Auntiieee…”

“Apologies, Theresa.”

Kiana shot her best friend a glare, Bronya valiantly attempting to ignore the way Kiana mockingly mouthed her more formal reply.

Once it became clear she would get no reaction, Kiana sighed and shifted her tired gaze towards the front of the vehicle, “Sooooooo… whoever it is Ein said could help is on the Hyperion?”

“Yes! Again!” Theresa yelled back.

“So who is iiiittt?!”

The engines pitch whirred higher as the transport slowed down and lowered until a muffled clunk signalled the landing gear hitting solid ground.

A few seconds later, Theresa appeared from the cockpit, “You should know who I'm talking about, Kiana. She's only the most annoying woman in the solar system!”

The others followed after the diminutive Overseer, Kiana scratching her head in confusion as they waited for the exit ramp to lower, “Huh? Bronya's right here though,” she said, jerking a thumb at said woman.

“I'm going to send Project Bunny to set your instant noodle stash on fire.” Bronya shot back.

“Yes, THE most annoying, irritating being to ever curse this solar system!” Theresa continued as they stepped down onto the Hyperion's deck, ignoring the jabs thrown between girls.

Kiana frowned, “Aren't those basically the same thing?”

“You don't understand! I had to work closely with her while you were in that coma years ago and she's so completely horrible that both words apply!”

Kiana quirked an eyebrow. She was fairly certain who this woman was at this point. Only one woman Shicksal dealt with could drive her aunt up the wall like this at the mere thought of her. “I'm sensing a ‘but’ here.”

Mei grinned, “The ‘but’ is that Miss Theresa is well aware she's the only other person with powers similar to yours that has travelled the solar system. Enough that she might have knowledge on how to challenge the power of the Imaginary.”

The four women squeezed into one of the Hyperion's lifts straight up to the command center.

“Hey now, I don't want to take the fight to the Imaginary tree or something, I just need to be able to defend myself and Earth if the thing that attacked me suddenly decides I'm more trouble than I'm worth.”

Bronya shrugged, “We could have tried asking Griseo first, but she's not on the Hyperion and having her in the same country as her… situationship… is just asking for trouble.”

Mei grimaced, “That's certainly one way to put it.”

The group stepped out into the fancy wood floored recreation room that took up a long rectangular space near the top of the warship/exploration vessel hybrid. Across the room stood a much wider lift that went up to the bridge proper, their destination. As they crossed the room Kiana was acutely aware of the swirling maelstrom of quantum energy roiling just above them. She filed the feeling to the back of her mind, letting her attention wander through the room. Kitchen, rest areas, even a small game area with table tennis and foosball, Kiana was almost tempted to complain she didn't get this in the moon rec center. Though what really drew her eyes was the various pieces of feathered decorations with an intricate and beautiful peacock feather pattern. The brilliant emeralds and cobalts stood out against the empty whites and browns of the room.

“Alright, here we are,” Theresa announced, “You three can go talk to her, if I have to see her again I'm going to lose what little sanity I have left.”

“Don't worry, Auntie, I've got this,” Kiana grinned. 

The tiredness was still there, underlining Kiana's every word and action, but seeing her niece's brilliant smile come out again did hearten her greatly. Theresa replied with her own wry grin, “I'm sure. I'll be waiting here when you're done.”

With that, the trio stepped onto the circular platform and Bronya keyed in the command for it to raise them to the top floor. As soon as the lift began its noisy ascent Kiana felt a tug in the back of her mind as that maelstrom of energy suddenly shifted and became a tightly controlled stream, like someone was gently pouring the energy of the sea of quanta out of a bottle. Kiana couldn't help the grin that flickered across her lips. She wasn't one to be fooled that easily.

The lift came to a stop soon enough and the trio disembarked into a darkened bridge. Kiana's eyes shone like beacons as her gaze darted around the room in front of them.

“Ah~” a voice broke through the dark, “I expected Theresa to show up for one of her boring inspections, but I wasn't expecting her to bring friends for a visit as well!”

Kiana's eyes finally locked onto the source. A humanoid shape in the darkness, topped with glowing pink eyes staring back at her from the shadow, “Uh, hi?” Kiana waved awkwardly, “I think I kinda know you but I don't think we've properly met before?”

“Oh I see~ This is a surprise, I finally get to meet the Herrscher of Finality face to face!” The shape leaned forward, a single light snapping on in just the right spot to illuminate crossed legs and a feminine face as it leaned forward from the darkness, “Theresa wouldn't have been keeping us apart on purpose would she?” Vita tilted her head and frowned, her beautiful gray hair spilling over her shoulder, “That would be quite rude, wouldn't it?” she sighed, “She's lucky I'm partial to cute girls or I wouldn't be helping her on these exploration missions, they can get quite boring you know. Maybe I'll go off and do my own thing again now that this one is done.”

Mei scoffed, “Since when has anything stopped you from doing your own thing behind our backs?”

“My dear Mei, I thought we were friends? Not even a ‘Hello’ before you sling accusations?”

Mei simply continued staring with a guarded air about her.

Kiana took the moment to observe the woman before her. She was incredibly pretty. Her outfit looked like an elegantly crafted pantsuit with one leg cut off to expose Vita's left leg. Its black and greens matched perfectly with her hair and the peacock feather earrings she wore. Kiana suddenly felt rather underdressed in comparison. She needed to make a good first impression, “Uh…” she began dumbly, her eyes flicking down to Vita's single stocking clad leg as she gracefully uncrossed her legs and seemed to purposely show off her exposed thigh. Kiana swallowed thickly. “I uh- I need your help-”

“Oh I know~” Vita winked, “I'm actually only here because Theresa sent me everything I need to know about that incident a few days ago. It's not every day something happens that spurns the tree into taking action itself! It's quite interesting, isn't it?” Vita stood from the captain's chair, lights flicking on fully as she floated down the group.

Mei and Bronya stood protectively on either side of Kiana.

“Little Theresa rightfully sook me out, I've spent a long time travelling the sea of quanta and the solar system. And if the Tree is all powerful, why didn't it stop you before you broke its precious laws?” Vita put a finger to her chin and flicked her eyes up as if thinking hard about her own words.

The next moment a mischievous smile broke upon her lips, the woman bowing gracefully in midair before extending her hand, “Shall we expose the Tree's fallibility together~?” Her eyes glimmered like precious gems, the woman's playful tone contrasted greatly against the guarded stances of Bronya and Mei. Kiana had heard many stories of a woman her family and friends had journeyed with that hid her duplicity behind smiles and mischievous playfulness. This was who she would be studying the powers of the Imaginary with?

Kiana hesitated for but a moment.

Then she took Vita's hand.