Chapter Text
Dreams are transient like moonlight. Dreams are a gift from the Moon Goddess, they say, who spoke into the dreams of all humanity the day she appeared. Mei had never quite managed to gain the joy and reverence her sisters at the temple had for dreams. While others spoke of the wonderful meaning they could glean from the scraps and trailing whispers that remained when they awoke, Mei could only pray she remembered little upon waking. Her dreams were confusing, frightening things whose cobwebs she quickly shook from herself by morning.
But sometimes… she did think she could feel that warmth the others spoke of… a light not bright and all consuming like the sun, but a softer, colder light that wrapped around her being like a comforting embrace.
An embrace that always fell away much too quickly as consciousness came back to her like the roar of a raging river.
The gasp that tore at her throat sounded more like that of a drowning woman finally breaking the surface, than one simply waking from sleep. Lavender eyes snapped open as awareness overwhelmed her. Immediately she felt an incredible ache throughout her body. A dull pain spread through her limbs from the center of her chest. The slightest movement strained exhausted muscles like she had done the most intense workout of her life. Despite this, she slowly but surely pushed herself up into a sitting position, supporting herself with the pillows she had laid on and the headboard of the bed. Confused eyes cast around her environment, before her groggy brain managed to catch up to what she was seeing. This was… her room? Exhaustion clung to her mind like a fog, her thoughts coming slowly despite her efforts otherwise. Before she could fully regain her bearings, a muffled jumble of voices approaching grabbed at her senses.
“-told me that she’s going to be alright.”
“And when are they going to tell us what happened to our daughter?”
“They- I don’t know… Lets check on Mei first okay?”
“Very well.”
As the last words were spoken, the door opened and Mei’s gaze was met by the worried eyes of Mifumi and Ryoma Raiden. And a pair of shimmering cerulean eyes. Her head lolled to the side, a bit out of the woman’s control, as her exhausted body failed to maintain the minute control she demanded.
“Mei dear!” Her mother cried, “You’re awake!”
The trio rushed to the priestess’s bedside, relieved smiles on all their faces. Ryoma gently grasped Mei’s hand, eyes darting from his daughter to Kiana as she circled around to the other side. Mifumi chose to kneel and rest her hand on Mei's shoulder.
“Mother, father,” Mei smiled tiredly. She managed to shift just enough for her eyes to meet her visitor, “Kiana?”
The girl waved sheepishly, “Hi Mei.”
“What are you…?”
“Doing here? Well I’m a… compromise,” Kiana’s eyes flicked to Ryoma for a moment, “Your dad wasn’t very happy when the high priestess told him his daughter had turned up at the temple unconscious. He insisted they bring you here. They weren’t very happy or forthcoming with answers but insisted someone familiar with Finality watch over you. Mr. Raiden wasn’t about to let any of them stay, but I’m not a priestess so,” Kiana shrugged, “Here I am. Can’t say I know as much as a priestess but my family has plenty of knowledge of its own.”
Ryoma frowned, “I could not completely refuse them. The worshippers of Finality hold too much influence in this city. However, I was informed that you were seen spending time with this Kaslana.”
“Well I think it worked out splendidly,” Mifumi smiled, “Kiana has been a wonderful guest, and quite an attentive caretaker for the last couple days.”
Kiana chuckled and sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, a light pink dusting her cheeks, “I-I’m just keeping my word, ma’am.”
“Wait,” Mei’s brows furrowed, “Days?”
“You’ve been… asleep… for two days now,” Her father answered.
“Oh,” Mei simply sat there. What else could she say? The Herrscher of Finality had said it would take time to adjust, but had not given her details. Who’s to say this long sleep was not her body adjusting to the supernatural energies flowing through her veins?
“Miss Kaslana,” Ryoma started sharply, “I have been lenient thus far, but now that Mei is awake I must demand you reveal anything you know that may be helpful. The high priestess of Finality has been less than helpful, but my conversations with her have convinced me that they know more than they are telling us.”
Kiana exhaled sharply through her nose, “I understand, I won’t avoid it any longer,” Her voice adopted a more serious tone than any Mei had heard from the carefree woman thus far, “I don’t know if I can give you all the answers you want, but Kaslanas are pretty close to Finality.”
Ryoma nodded his understanding. Both parents looked on attentively as the white-haired woman took a deep breath before continuing.
“First off, your daughter got to meet the Herrscher of Finality-”
Ryoma held up a hand, “Stop right there. She what ?”
“Uh,” Kiana’s eyes darted nervously between the older Raidens staring at her in disbelief, “Well there was that whole celebration that night and the actual whole ass Herrscher kinda showed up this time, gave a little speech, and then walked right up to Mei and they both disappeared.”
“You came back to the celebration?” Mei questioned.
“She was chosen ?” Both her parents exclaimed in unison.
“W-well I left originally to get Project Bunny back to Bronya so we could help her with a thing we said we’d help with, but we finished faster than we thought so she brought me over just in time to watch all the excitement happen,” Kiana paused to scratch as her cheek with her pointer finger, “Um, anyways, yeah, Goddess chose her. Mei, could you pull up your right sleeve?”
Mei looked on in confusion for a moment before the words finally registered. Looking down, her eye was immediately drawn to a pink coloration on her skin just barely peeking out from the edge of her t-shirt. Doing as her friend requested, Mei slowly pulled up the fabric until her shoulder was exposed. Her parents quickly circled the bed to gaze upon Kiana’s discovery.
Emblazoned on Mei’s skin was a symbol colored the familiar pink of Honkai energy, though not glowing like the veins of corruption normally seen on humans. It took the shape of a four pointed star with a crescent moon arcing around the right side so that only the left-most point was free of its coverage, the points of the moon arcing a bit past the top star point and ending right at the bottom star point. From the outer edge of the crescent protruded a shape like the five points of a tiara, offset just to the left of the moon’s center. From the center star shape were four smaller arms whose bases were a more bulbous, leaflike shape that tapered into two small hearts forming shorter star points at each diagonal. Centered just past the point of the left-most lower diagonal were three solid pink silhouettes in the shape of the flowers of Finality filling the space between the lower and left-most star point, each flower decreasing a bit in size the closer to the left point they were. Their arcing shape added to the overall circular flow of the symbol.
“That,” Kiana began, “Is the stigma of the Herrscher of Finality. Basically proof she’s been granted incredible power by the Goddess herself.”
“Yes,” Ryoma frowned, “I am aware of what stigma represent.”
Mifumi moved as if to touch the stigma only for her fingers to hesitate just above the skin, her brows pulling together in a worried frown, “It doesn’t hurt, does it dear?”
Mei shook her head, “No.”
Ryoma held a hand to his chin in thought. Narrow eyes locked into the girl who had identified the symbol for what it was, “Miss Kaslana, may I inquire as to how you became privy to such well secured information as to recognize a Herrscher stigma?”
Kiana smiled nervously at the man's dangerous tone, “Uh, well, you see, the Kaslanas have dealt closely with Herrschers for a while now, and apparently quite a few of us have personally met Herrschers in the past. All this info is recorded so I kinda… well, Bronya hacked into the Kaslana estate's databases and pulled a bunch of info,” Kiana answered, wincing as she finished, “Honestly most of it was pretty boring but I remember this one because the drawing from one of the old books caught my eye and cuz Bronya was rambling about Herrschers for three days straight.”
“Bronya?”
“Uh, yeah, she's my best friend and a follower of the Herrscher of Reason.”
Ryoma sighed, “Of course.”
“There's um… one more thing. Mr. Ryoma. Sir.”
Ryoma raised a displeased eyebrow.
“So uh, there was something else I noticed while I was trying to make sure Mei was comfortable the other day…” Kiana cringed as everyone in the room locked their gazes onto her, “I kinda saw something peeking up from the waistband of the pajamas Miss Raiden put her in, so I took a look to make sure it wasn't anything bad- pleasedon'tkillme,” she quickly added at the end as Ryoma gave her a distinctly displeased glare and the other two women looked rather scandalized, “Miss Raiden you must've seen it too, right?” Kiana practically pleaded with the woman, “On the upper part of her left thigh?”
Mifumi's gaze dropped as she rifled through her memories. After a moment a glint of realization lit in her eyes and her head snapped back up to Kiana, “I wasn't seeing things? That was…”
“Yeah,” Kiana nodded, “The stigma of the Herrscher of Thunder.”
The silence that blanketed the room was so thick Mei swore she could hear her father's teeth grinding as his jaw clenched. After a moment she took the opportunity to speak up, “There's so many strange things flowing through my head, but… I do remember my meeting with the Goddess…” She began slowly. Keeping a steady rhythm, Mei steadily recounted her conversation with the Herrscher. Despite the persistent fog that seemed determined to delay and obscure her thoughts, she was able to recount the encounter in plentiful detail. Her voice fell away as she finished, her fingers gently pressing at the dulled pain where the gem of conquest had been absorbed into her body.
“Damn, white hair and blue eyes? Is the Herrscher of Finality a Kaslana or something? That's pretty crazy! Haha!” Kiana's laugh was much too forced, but the senior Raidens did not seem to notice as they mulled over such overwhelming information. Mei, however, found herself studying the young Kaslana's face closely. Something within her was hesitant to expose the visions she had experienced upon receiving the gems. While disorienting, the events she had witnessed were burned into her mind, reappearing each time she closed her eyes. The way the girl's bangs fell, the braids, her eyes… Every Kaslana was known for their snow-white hair and striking blue eyes, and Kiana was not a rare name among them due to a legendary Kaslana who bore it herself. Despite all that…
Kiana's gaze locked with her own and for a moment Mei could almost see the same pain and sorrow that filled that girl on the rainy rooftop. But hers… they say eyes are a window to the soul, and for just a moment Kiana’s gaze felt so much older and heavier than Mei could fathom. Like she was weighed down by an impossibly heavy burden. And in an instant it was gone. And the bright, carefree Kiana returned once more.
“So, the Herrscher of Thunder entrusted such an item to the Finality…” Ryoma murmured, “The records telling of their close relationship were not as fanciful as I originally assumed, it seems,” He returned his gaze to his daughter, eyes softening ever so slightly, “And this pain you spoke of… is it still present?”
“No, father,” Mei confirmed, “My whole body feels like I had the workout of a lifetime, but that burning sensation from the gems has long since faded to a dull ache. I can only assume these troubles will fade as my body adjusts to them.”
A sudden ringing from Kiana’s pocket interrupted them and Kiana quickly mouthed an apology as she darted away desperately fumbling with the device in her pocket. After several seconds she succeeded in answering her phone. However, her voice still carried to all in the room as she still managed to shout despite holding her voice to a whisper, “What is it? I’m kinda in the middle of something here!” She paused, “What? You’re already outside? Bronya I- No, shush! I told you I don’t know how long I’d be busy helping Mei! What the fuck do you mean we need to go? I told you, I’m not stepping foot back in St. Freya until they unban me from the cafeteria!” Another pause, “...Oh. Uh…” The girl shot an anxious glance back at the Raidens, “Can you distract them or something so I can at least try to finish up here? Thanks Bronya, you’re the best!”
“Da, Kiana Idiotka did not even realize I had already infiltrated the premises.”
A high pitched, rather girly scream burst from Kiana’s throat. In nearly the same instant both senior Raidens had drawn firearms from within their clothes which were now pointed towards the voice. A shimmer in the air next to Kiana faded into the shape of a young girl with a floating machine twice as large behind her as Bronya and Project Bunny decloaked. Bronya held her hands up in peace, though her neutral expression did not change as she noted the guns now pointed directly at her, “Subject Kiana should know by now that Project Bunny contains audio muffling devices.”
“Father! Mother!”
“Bronya, you asshole!” Kiana looked like she wanted to say more, but the current situation seemed to suddenly click in her mind and she stepped in between the Raidens and Bronya, “Also, please don’t shoot my friend. This is Bronya.”
After a tense moment of eye contact, Ryoma holstered his weapon, Mifumi following suit a moment later. The man eyed the newcomer and her robotic companion with a keen eye, “I doubt I would be able to get past her mechanical companion even if I did shoot. I know better than to underestimate the contraptions of adherents of Reason.”
Bronya shrugged and nodded, “I apologize for barging in like this,” She dipped her head to the Raidens in a slight bow, “But-” Bronya cut herself off and glanced to Kiana. The girl winced, clearly receiving some unstated message. Kiana silently gestured towards Mei and Bronya sighed before tapping a few commands on a wrist console built into her battlesuit, “Alright, that should give us another week or so,” Bronya looked back to the other occupants for a moment, her intense stare lingering on Mei, “So this is why you were staying with her? Your new priestess friend seems to have picked up a Herrscher gem or two.”
Mei smiled ruefully, “It seems everyone except me knew about this aspect of the Gods. But yes, that is why I am currently bed bound and weak.”
“May I?”
“You may n-” Ryoma began.
“You may,” Mei interrupted, “Father, please let her through.”
Ryoma and Mifumi both stepped aside, though her father looked decidedly unhappy about it. There was a soft whine and Bronya's feet gently left the ground, the smaller woman gracefully floating across the ground to Mei's bedside. Bronya seemed to enjoy the astonished looks this received, and for the first time her lips ever so slightly twitched upwards in a smug smile.
“It's from special prosthetics on my legs. Walking is difficult, so why even touch the ground?”
“Amazing…” Mifumi breathed.
Bronya looked over Mei once more, “Are you feeling extreme muscle soreness and weakness currently? Dull pain where the gems might be? Brain fog?”
“Yes to all,” Mei groaned.
Bronya nodded, “Kiana knows what she's talking about every once in a while, but despite also having a gem, the dumbass probably forgot one important detail.”
Kiana threw up in arms in annoyance, “Hey!”
“Language!” Mifuma admonished.
Bronya bowed her head in apology, “Obtaining the power of a Herrscher changes your body in ways that, debatably, makes you no longer fully human. Your body needs Honkai energy now. While the gems have microscopic imaginary singularities that will gradually replenish your energy, when you and the gems are first adjusting to each other they might need a little… jumpstart.”
“Shit, I did forget about that…”
Mei blinked, studiously ignoring the whispers of her parents behind Bronya, “You want me to purposely get irradiated by Honkai energy?”
Bronya nodded, “Actually, I have something with me that can help. If that's okay with Mr. Ryoma, of course.”
The lines around Ryoma's eyes were tight. However, after a moment he nodded his assent, “Mifumi can feel the touch of the Herrscher of Reason upon you. If you can help our daughter adjust, we would welcome it.”
Mei smiled, “Please, Bronya, continue.”
A compartment hissed open on Project Bunny and from it Bronya retrieved a rectangular device, “This will help. It's a device I put together designed to release a concentrated burst of Honkai energy. Usually it works as an effective directional EMP, but I believe it may help jumpstart the process of your gems siphoning and storing the Honkai energy you need.”
“Your new friends are full of surprises, aren't they, Mei?” Mifumi commented.
Bronya shrugged, “You learn a lot as a Valkyrie blessed by Reason. Though I don't think even the Herrscher of Reason could help idiotka.”
Kiana made a choked noise that made it clear she could not believe this betrayal, however the girl seemed to think better of trying to talk back and settled for crossing her arms and pouting.
“Okay, I must ask that everyone else leave the room. Mei is the only one that needs to be irradiated here. Better to be safe than sorry when it comes to Honkai.”
The senior Raidens both confirmed their agreement and left. As Kiana passed her however, Bronya gripped her shoulder and pulled the taller girl down to whisper something in her ear. Soon after the girl was released and she disappeared with the click of the shutting door.
Mei watched on as Bronya began connecting multiple wires to both the device and Project Bunny, fiddling with what she could only assume were the controls.
“So,” Bronya began, “You met a Herrscher in person.”
Mei started at the sudden break of silence, “Oh! Y-yes. It was… I don't know. Overwhelming, ethereal, but she was also surprisingly… casual? Nothing like I had imagined a Goddess like her being. And she was… unimaginably beautiful.”
Bronya nodded, still fiddling with her device, “The second gem in your body is from the Herrscher of Thunder, isn't it?”
Mei's mouth dropped open slightly, her nod of affirmation stiff as her eyes darted around as quickly as her thoughts.
“How do I know?”
Mei nodded again.
“Lets just say I'm on rather good terms with the Herrscher of Reason. But regardless of that, it's fairly well documented by the worshippers of Reason that the Third Herrscher of Reason formed a bit of a trio with the Herrschers of Thunder and Finality. She even told me; Finality is her best friend, but even that paled in comparison to the trust held between Thunder and the Moon. So,” Bronya shrugged again as the device in her hands whirred to life, “People getting multiple gems isn't unheard of, though never two of the same type of gem. If there’s two from the same Herrscher in one body they just kinda fuse into one gem. So it goes to reason that if the Herrscher of Finality gave you two gems, the other is probably from her most trusted… friend.”
There was a strange hesitation to the girl's final words, but Mei could not hope to penetrate that steely gaze deep enough to find an answer.
“Anyways, it's all set now. Hold still, you might feel a bit dizzy. Like taking in a breath of clean air for the first time in days,” Bronya locked her gaze to the priestess, her emotionless eyes nevertheless communicating an intensity haunted by experience, “I must warn you. Wielding The Honkai is not a joke. It is not easy. It will try to corrupt you, to amplify your strongest emotions so it can twist them into a weapon. Every time you immerse yourself in its strength it will promise you an even greater power, a greater purpose, a chance for vengeance perhaps. Do not listen to its whispers. Do not forget that Honkai's only goal is to wipe out civilization, and is only able to be used as a tool thanks to Herrschers with a strong enough spirit to not succumb to its Will. Show me your will, Raiden Mei.”
Mei braced herself, squeezing her eyes closed in anticipation as the whining charge of Bronya's device filled the air. So focused was she on this anticipation that she did not fully register the strange echoing tone Bronya's voice had taken. Nor did she see the way her irises took on an alien, angular pattern as the device was filled with Honkai energy.
One second. Two. And finally, a click followed by an electrical twang like a lightbulb's filament snapping. Almost immediately Mei's entire body flinched backwards like she had just been kicked square in the chest, her breath forcefully expelled from her lungs. The priestess's chest rose rapidly as she gasped and took in a desperate new breath. The dizziness she was warned of washed over her like a tidal wave, the room spinning around her as a strange tingling rush rippled down her body. Vaguely, she realized she had tumbled from her bed, her knees aching where they had slammed into the floor.
And then, a rush of relief so intense the priestess was forced to struggle against the dark embrace of unconsciousness, as if there was a force sweeping away her exhaustion like obstructions on a riverbed, before filling the waiting space with only the purest, clearest water in a feeling of relief that was overwhelming in its intensity.
It was then, as this refreshing stream of energy grew into a roaring river that she heard it. A voice beckoning in the back of her mind like you might just barely pick out someone calling out in a crowd. It was a shout carried into the air by the wind, and a faint, fluttering thing in her ear both. She could feel a pull deep in her chest, its influence spreading just like the newly livened Honkai energy spread through her veins. This new life filling her was… intoxicating. She could feel the Honkai energy reinforcing her bones, her muscles, her exhaustion fell away like a shawl drifting from her shoulders. Her muscles contracted and flexed and instinct told her this was a strength beyond any human. It filled her with a confidence and elation that left her breaths shaking. A literal and physical lightning travelling through her body. A euphoric high that threatened to scatter her instinctive resistance to the wind.
She could feel it like an itch in the back of her mind. An almost uncontrollable urge to not restrain herself. To let this unfathomable abyss of energy wash over her like the tide, to let it sweep her up in this ecstatic, chaotic whirl of emotion. To embrace this newfound power in its entirety and revel in this new strength. The gems were only a taste of the potential she could achieve if only she would give in .
Return to me .
The murmured beckon grated against her skull, the whispering in her ears a choir singing for her elation, for destruction, for the subjugation of those that would try to restrain the fire burning behind her eyes. Through it all, the unprepared priestess could only just muster the barest confusion at the words scraping through her mind.
Embrace your right of conquest once again, my vessel. Show this world the might of Thunder and become whole once more. Remember your purpose.
Her breathing became labored, each word like a knife gouging chunks from her head. What was she doing? What was her purpose? Her thoughts were jumbled, a chaotic mess spurred on by the devil on her shoulder as she was pushed further and further towards not just dipping her hands into the ocean that was The Honkai, but diving headfirst into its depths. Her purpose…
Her chest throbbed as the familiar dull ache intensified and came to life like an ember granted oxygen, crackling and roaring and growing like a thunderous inferno. Her flailing resistance to these otherworldly forces pounded at her skull. The grasping fingers of her thoughts desperately clawing until they finally latched on to an island of calm within the chaos. The white light of the Moon illuminated the ethereal darkness encroaching on her consciousness. She remembered… no, she always knew what her purpose was. She had known from the moment she stepped foot in the Temple. She was a sword of humanity, the servant of the beings that defended humankind from the horrors beyond the void. The voices that had been singing her encouragement turned to malice as their seductive soprano was resisted by the very humanity that gave it strength.
Traitor.
Failure.
Weakling.
Her teeth grit tight, her breaths coming in pained gasps as the voices became scrabbling claws. No longer a calculated pull, but lashing out at the one who dared reject its call. Mei's mind desperately braced itself against this wailing, furious flailing, her own voice meeting its own in rising defiance. The chaos of her thoughts remained, but the memory of cerulean eyes and white hair pushed her forwards. Those visions, while these memories may not belong to her, struck a deep nostalgia within her heart. She was not just a sword. Not just a weapon. She was also Raiden Mei. A human who fought for those around her. For her family, for her friends, for those she only knew as a quick wave and greeting on the street. Just like the white-haired girl in her visions clashing with deadly purple, she would stand defiant until her last breath.
Deep in the recesses of her mind, she could almost feel a satisfied grin not entirely her own before it faded back into oblivion.
And like a chord had snapped, the chaos and pressure on her mind vanished in a deafening crash of thunder.
Her voice, hoarse with the strain of her effort against the forces crashing against her, broke into a shuddering gasp. The sensations did not fully subside, for she could feel the gems humming with a comfortable warmth, however it faded into a manageable and more natural pulsing, a static that darted across her skin and saturated the air around her as it gently faded. The priestess slowly pushed herself to her feet, her mind slowly bringing her present world back into focus. Bronya hovered a few meters away just beyond a blackened blast mark on the floor with an unreadable look in her eyes. Kiana, as well, stood beside Bronya with a smile that appeared meant to be comforting, but instead looked much too melancholic to be convincing. Her parents filled the doorway, relieved smiles unable to hide the way they seemed braced to leap into action, their eyes untouched by their apparent joy.
The air smelled of ozone and sunlight bathed her skin in a gentle warmth, a sensation as confusing to the young priestess as it was welcome.
Her rising curiosity lifted her gaze until it was met with the jagged edges of the gaping hole in her ceiling.
“Oops,” Mei croaked, “Did I do that?”
Bronya too, eyed the gaping ceiling like at any moment more thunder would come raining down. Keeping her eyes on the hole, she leaned over to Kiana, “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
The sunlight outside the grounds of the Raiden home in Arc city was a welcome change from the cloudy gloom that seemed to have taken up so much of her experiences since meeting the Herrscher of Finality. While Mei couldn’t quite control the sparks that danced across her skin every so often, she was glad to at least be free of the burning ozone smell that permeated her room. After she had managed to wrest control of her new powers from whatever being had invaded her mind, her room had been left a complete mess. According to her parents they had rushed back upon hearing her scream out in agony, only to find the air around their daughter alight with lightning and pink flame. The climax of her struggle had broken the surface in the form of a thunderstorm that culminated in a blinding bolt of lightning that had blasted through the roof and directly into her kneeling form. Her bed was half blown apart, her things scattered and toppled. The flooring- at least- had remained intact lest she have injured herself falling to the ground floor.
Bronya had used her gifts of Reason to help reconstruct the building, however she could not replace the few keepsakes from Mei’s younger years that had been reduced to ash. It was poetic that they were burned in her struggle against the corruptive influence of the Honkai, she supposed. But that did not temper her disappointment at their loss. Her parents assured her they would organize obtaining a new bed for her. In the meantime, they encouraged their now revitalized daughter to get some air. Perhaps being out and about with her friends would further help her recover from this ordeal. While Mei agreed, she was still operating on a bit of an autopilot. Despite being mandated rest from her duties, she was halfway through donning her uniform by the time she registered what she was doing. At that point, she had simply shrugged and finished dressing.
And so she found herself setting a hurried pace down the road with Kiana and Bronya in tow, just in time to miss the various news stations and emergency vehicles arriving to investigate the now dispersed phenomena that had lit up the Raiden’s grounds. As a prominent public figure as the head of ME Corp, Mei was sure her father could handle himself.
While not nearly as large as the Raiden estate back home, their dwelling in Arc city was by no means small, as her father would sometimes use it to host business partners or other members of the Raiden family. It was positioned on the very edge of the city, close enough Mei found it easy to walk to most places she needed to go, but far enough away so as to not be caught up in most of the hustle and bustle flowing towards the central business district. It was here, on a raised walkway leading further into the city, that the trio found themselves.
“You could have at least warned her a bit less cryptically,” Kiana said.
“No matter what I said, it would not have been able to adequately prepare her for the experience of opening herself up to the Honkai,” Bronya countered, “If the Herrscher gave her two gems, she must have believed Mei was capable of triumph.”
Kiana shrugged her shoulders with a displeased grunt.
“It’s alright, Kiana,” Mei insisted (not for the first time), “What matters is that I was able to get it under control.”
“No one ever really has the Honkai under control,” Kiana grumbled, “If anyone tells you that, check back in a few months and see if they’ve zombified from overexposure yet. Or just died.”
Mei didn’t know how to reply. The girl wasn’t wrong, if a bit pessimistic for the usually positive girl, “Well,” she began eventually, “I’ll do my best not to zombify, I wouldn’t want to disappoint you, hm?”
Kiana turned and flashed a small grin, “Yeah, wouldn’t want a girl as pretty as you being wasted as a Honkai zombie, huh?”
“I- w-well,” Mei stammered before simply closing her mouth and looking away, embarrassment clear on her cheeks.
“I will never understand how this always works for you, idiotka” Bronya murmured.
“Making cute girls blush is a skill,” Kiana stated proudly.
Mei quickly recovered and side-eyed the boastful Kaslana, “Oh? Do you do this to every girl you befriend, then?”
Kiana froze mid-step, “I- uh-”
Bronya’s lips twitched upwards, “You’re never beating the womanizer allegations.”
“Hey! I flirt because girls deserve to be appreciated!” Kiana shot back indignantly.
“Ah yes, that’s why everyone always compares you to your dad, who- mind you- was said to have flirted with women in front of your mom.”
“He was drunk!”
“Every time?”
“Yes!”
“This is not helping your case. Are you gonna become an alcoholic next, too? Please don’t start using it to cope with being unable to beat me at Homu Smash Ultimate, Bianka will kill both of us.”
“Gah!” Kiana held her hands out and tensed her fingers to mime choking Bronya out, “You’re infuriating!”
Mei watched the pair’s antics with a small smile on her face. Despite their sometimes harsh words, it was plain even to her that the two cared for each other greatly, “You two fight like sisters.”
“Heh, we are pretty much sisters at this point, huh?” Kiana said, jabbing a joking elbow into Bronya’s side.
“I’d rather die.”
“See? She agrees,” Kiana smiled cheerily, “Besides, Seele already told me she’d love to have a sister like me,” Kiana said, proudly jabbing her thumb against her chest.
“Don’t bring Seele into this, you stupid lesbian.”
“Oh you’re one to talk, Miss I-Have-Two-Girlfriends.”
Mei couldn’t help the giggle that bubbled up from her chest. Casting her eyes around as they descended from the walkway to the street proper, she took note of the familiar area, “Shall we stop for a snack? Or a drink? There’s plenty of good options on this street. And a food court we could sit at.”
“Yeah!”
“Da.”
Soon enough Bronya and Mei found themselves at a nearby seating area, boba tea in hand. Kiana had darted off somewhere for food while the other two were waiting in line. Mei had been forced to trust Bronya’s selection for Kiana's taste and trust the diminutive girl hadn't purposely selected something Kiana would hate. When Kiana failed to appear by the time they claimed a table, Bronya's confidence Kiana would turn back up soon assuaged a bit of the priestess's worries.
Now her biggest worry was how much she stood out. She had nearly forgotten with everything that happened afterwards, but anyone that'd had a clear view of the temple steps would be able to recognize her as the woman approached by the Moon Goddess. She counted herself merely lucky no one had accosted her yet, but it was only a matter of time walking around in her uniform as she was.
“Bronya…” Mei twirled her drink in her hand as her eyes observed the crowd around them before settling on the girl, “Do you mind if I inquire about your prosthetics?”
“I'm actually surprised it took this long for you to ask, usually people can't stop staring once they figure out what they are,” Bronya leaned back, sipping on her drink, “I suppose there's no harm in telling you. A Honkai overload when I was younger damaged part of my brain, leaving me with difficulties expressing emotion and my legs nearly fully paralyzed. The prosthetics help me move my legs when I want, or hover in the air when I don't.”
“I- I see…”
“You want to say more,” Bronya observed.
Mei's brows furrowed, “I want to say I'm sorry, Bronya. But I also do not want to disrespect you or how far you've come.”
Bronya nodded, a thankful tilt to her lips, “Kiana was right. You're alright, Miss Raiden,” Before Mei could question this comment Bronya's eyes flicked over Mei's shoulder, “Oh look, the idiotka found noodles.”
Mei spun so fast her chair scraped along the ground as it was knocked to the side slightly. Sure enough, the white haired girl was walking quickly towards them with a huge smile and a bowl in her hands.
“Well,” Kiana shouted over the din of other customers, “I dunno if this place'll beat Shenzhou Noodles, but they sure do have a great serving size!”
Mei surreptitiously settled back down, hoping Kiana didn’t question her sudden relief. Unfortunately, Bronya’s steady gaze made it clear she had watched the whole thing, a slight tilt to the corner of her lips the whole while.
Bronya tilted her head towards Mei, “Subject Kiana's stomach is like the deepest of black holes. She can eat enough for three women and somehow her metabolism will burn through it all by the next meal.”
“Subject Kiana?”
Kiana laughed, “Bronya used to talk in the third person and call everyone ‘Subject’ all the time when we were younger. She's kinda fallen out of it as we got older but she still does it sometimes. I assume it has to do with whatever it was that messed up her brain.”
“I could always fry yours and we could test this hypothesis.” Bronya replied.
“Hey no frying my brain while we're studying at St. Freya, Aunt Himeko's orders.”
“Just eat your noodles, stupid.”
Himeko.
Mei scoured her memories desperately. The name was as unfamiliar to her as the ache in her heart when Kiana spoke those syllables. And yet nonetheless…
“Hey,” Mei was shaken from her thoughts by Kiana's gentle hand, “You okay, Mei?”
Mei nodded, attempting to shake the strange feeling, “Yeah, I just…” Her expression grew troubled as she struggled for the right words, “I didn't say anything to my parents because I didn't want to worry them, but ever since I was given the gems I've been having… visions. Like I'm watching another life through someone else's eyes. Or I'll hear something and be hit with a strange sense of nostalgia and loss. Like the name Himeko…” She looked into those worrying cerulean eyes, unable to bring herself to give voice to the white-haired girl in her visions.
“Alright,” Kiana pushed her chair back and stood, “I'm finished so lets go find a happier place to sit, yeah? I'd much rather see Mei's beautiful smile.”
Mei blinked. Kiana's massive bowl was indeed already empty. When did she…? Mei filed away this mysterious ability to make food disappear for later. Kiana's words once again brought heat to her cheeks, however this time she did not look away. A change of scenery would be nice.
Ryoma Raiden gently picked through the chaotic mess of his daughter's room. Now that the destroyed bed had been removed, all that was left was putting everything back in its rightful place. The media had hounded him for hours and Ryoma took great pleasure at revealing the nature of his daughter’s temporary disappearance and the localized burst of Honkai energy at the Raiden abode, and then pointing further questions at the Temple of Finality. Refocusing his attention on the present, he eyed the old pictures and drawings that had spilled from a knocked over shelf, and it was these Ryoma found himself drawn to first.
After righting the shelf, his fingers gently slid under the edge of the frame, thankfully still intact despite the violence it had been subjected to. He was greeted by a Mei much different and yet recognizable all the same. The girl was much shorter, her hair not yet grown out to its incredible length. The teenager proudly held up a graduation certificate, her parents on either side clasping her shoulders with their own proud smiles.
The next, a photo of the same younger Raiden now a few years grown past the previous photo. She was in the middle of a kendo practice and had not noticed her mother had been taking pictures of her near perfect forms. A slight smile pulled at Ryoma's lips. The girl had been quite irate when she first saw it, but over the years had grown rather fond of the various photographs Mifumi had taken. One by one he picked them up, putting the framed ones back on the righted shelf, and the loose ones back into the small box they had tumbled from.
Mei's first success at a kendo competition. A trip they had taken to the city-state of Yokohama and various sights as well as the teenaged Mei's enjoyment of them, gradually the Meis in the pictures grew younger and younger, until the final one, Mei's twelfth birthday, had been safely stowed away.
As he stood still, the sound of feet against hardwood announced an arrival. Not a few seconds later had toned arms wrapped around one of his own as Mifumi rested her head on his shoulder.
“Time certainly has a way of travelling too fast, doesn't it?” She said quietly.
Ryoma nodded, his eyes not leaving his daughter's framed smile, “Yet it is time we are lucky to have.”
“We always knew these days would come.”
“We did. And yet our duty is not finished yet. Even so,” Ryoma sighed, “It is painful watching her take these steps and knowing there is little I can do to truly help.”
“But you have helped,” Mifumi gently took her husband's face in her hands, smiling softly as his gaze finally met hers, “it is our duty as her parents to guide her in this world, even if we cannot always protect her as we wish. And I believe you have done a splendid job, Ryoma.”
The taller man gently leaned against his wife's palm, “I can only hope you are right. I have made… too many mistakes in this life. I can only hope that in helping her I have not made more.”
Mifumi's smile turned wry, “I do not believe she would entrust us with such an important task if she did not think we were capable. If she did not believe we were the ones that could shoulder this duty, she would not have even spoken to us.”
“Thunder may be heard by all, but only the worthy hear its call,” Ryoma recited quietly.
“And if that is true,” Mifumi nodded, “Then our little Mei will bear witness to the most brilliant thunder of any of us.”
It had been several days of dodging news crews and fanatic worshippers desperate to gain the favor of one blessed by Finality- or simply fawn over her- and Mei now found herself standing in the incredibly large practice arena behind the temple. A large enclosed space several stories tall and deep enough into the temple grounds that it would not overshadow the temple itself. Within was a host of advanced holographic technology to recreate any environment or enemy they had data on while containing any bursts of power from the enhanced warrior priestesses. The perfect place for Mei to experiment with her new powers. The high priestess had been surprisingly welcoming when she requested to bring both Kiana and Bronya so deep into the non-public temple grounds.
“Okay, I have control,” Bronya said just as the machinery in the massive room whirred to life.
“Ugh, finallyyyy,” Kiana groaned, “I was getting tired of sitting around doing nothing!”
“Kiana,” Mei smiled, “it's only been about a minute.”
“And that's a minute too long!”
Bronya stared at the woman, “Alright, since you're so confident we'll start with a Parvati then-”
“Hey waitwaitwaitwait, lets not be hasty, Bronya!” Kiana chuckled nervously.
Bronya rolled her eyes, “Yeah that's what I thought. We're here to help Mei get a better handle on her Herrscher gems, not for you to show off in front of her.”
Kiana holstered her weapons with a grumble, a slight red to her cheeks as she turned away from Mei's curious gaze.
“Alright, Mei,” Bronya gestured for her to step forward, “The Honkai shielding here is strong enough the only thing you need to worry about is your own safety. All you need to do now is try to exercise control over the energy in your gems,” Bronya waited for Mei to nod her affirmation before continuing, “While your gems are significantly less powerful than a full fledged Herrscher, they are still significantly more powerful than almost anything human technology can currently output.”
Mei breathed deeply, a futile attempt to quell her rising anxiety at the raw power resting within her body, “So I need to learn how to control it without letting it overwhelm me, corrupt me, and probably cause a Honkai Eruption.”
“Correct,” Bronya said matter of factly.
“Okay,” Mei smiled rather unconvincingly, “No big deal!”
A hand on her back alerted her to Kiana's sudden presence beside her, “Just think of it like…” Kiana hummed, “Pulling a noodle through a small hole or something. There's this massive, infinite amount of it on the other side, but you don't need it all at once, in fact all of it falling out at once would be very bad. Pull too softly and nothing will really happen. Pull too hard and the wall holding the rest back with break. But pull just right…” Kiana raised her hand and snapped, leaving her pointer finger up as a brilliant orange flame burst to life above it, “And some of that cool shit the Herrschers do is right at your fingertips. It feels natural after a while.”
Mei shook her head in amusement, “Only you would explain this with noodles.”
The flame disappeared as Kiana crossed her arms with a huff, “Well it's better than letting Bronya talk your ears off with all these boring technical terms that don't make any sense! I make sense!”
“That you do. Usually,” Mei giggled.
“We'll leave you to it,” Bronya said, before grabbing one of Kiana's braids and dragging the sputtering and flailing girl back to where they would observe her.
Mei got the message. This was not something they could help with beyond words. She would need to master this strength alone.
She inhaled deeply, letting her breathing slow her heart and quiet her mind. She did not have to focus much to feel the steady hum of the Herrscher gems within her. As she closed her eyes, she reached deep within herself. She remembered that feeling in her room. That overwhelming tide that had washed her into a vast ocean while she desperately struggled to stay afloat. Like she had stepped into a river moving much too fast for her to remain steady. Re-entering that on purpose was daunting. Frightening.
And so she opted for the other option.
A small smile pulled at her lips as she gently grasped the gem of conviction, for she was sure now that was its name, and imagined a small filament of that ethereal amethyst energy was sticking out of it. Cautiously she wrapped it around a mental finger, its touch both unfathomable and containing a warm familiarity. And then, on this “noodle” of Honkai energy she pulled ever so gently.
Nothing. Just as Kiana said.
So she pulled harder. Incrementally she increased the tension on this bit of Honkai in her grip, bit by bit. After several seconds of testing its give she finally felt it. As she tugged on it she felt it slip. The gem responded to the touch of her mind with a comforting hum, a gentle tendril reaching out in response. More and more she pulled, a steady flow of this destructive energy pouring into her body. Her brows furrowed as this gentle release seemed to suddenly break free into a harsher current. Symbolic noodle forgotten, Mei was now back in the position of struggling against a torrent she could not control. It did not want to be controlled. She felt it spread through her limbs, that euphoric high as the Honkai energy saturated her body once again threatening to scatter her thoughts dangerously thin. How was she supposed to quell this rising tide? Doubt began to creep in at her ability to live up to her Goddess’s expectations as she struggled impotently against this rush.
Even among the warrior priestesses of Finality she was middling at best, her Honkai control even before this had paled in comparison to most of her sisters. Honkai had seemed like a siren call to a world beyond her imagination back then. But now? When facing the full brunt of its existence streaming through the gems in her chest? It was wild and vicious, as untameable and malicious as humanity’s worst instincts.
Electricity arced from her body, lightning darting across her skin in painful, burning pricks. Pink fire danced in her vision, seeming to burst from her very pores, only increasing in intensity as she tried to hold back the Honkai pouring into her body as uselessly as trying to plug the hole in a pressurized container with her bare hands.
She could only look on in horror, her breath hissing and grunting through her teeth as she fought the pain, as the angular pink veins of Honkai corruption began slithering up her arms from the tips of her fingers. Sound itself seemed to succumb to this torrent of power, the crackling of electricity and the roar of the wind as such a concentration of Honkai affected the very atmosphere going dull, muted, in a mere split second. Was it truly her fate to succumb so easily?
With a great yell of effort, she formed a block in her mind and pushed it, harder and harder, until it was forced into the mental image of the exit from the gem from which it was pouring. A final roar of determination and she bodily slammed this plug into place.
And the room was still.
The instant the flow of power was stopped, Mei fell to her knees like a puppet with cut strings. Her body tingled with the myriad of pinpricks where lightning had danced across her skin. Though she was unmarred, the ground beneath her had been blackened by the eruption of flames. As her gaze used the welding line on the metal floor as an anchoring point, a small flash of purple lit up her left side. Barely a second had passed before Kiana was kneeling next to her, the Valkyrie’s toned arms sliding around her shoulders and holding her close. The girl murmured words of soft encouragement, that Mei was safe now, that she would be okay.
“I-I can’t do it,” Mei gasped quietly, “There’s too much. It hurts. I can barely- I can’t…” Mei grimaced against the sensation of white hot tears arcing down her skin to fall on the panelling below.
Kiana’s arms tightened around her and she simply repeated her insistent words that Mei would be okay.
Would she? Mei had to ask herself. Would she truly be okay if she could not master this power that had been foisted upon her? Mei shuddered in Kiana’s arms as the memory of that thing that had clawed at her mind flashed through her thoughts.
And with all that she had experienced thus far, if she was successful… would she ever be the same?
After such an incredible outpouring of Honkai energy, temple staff had rushed into the arena to find Kiana still holding a shaking Raiden Mei. The angular veins of Honkai corruption running up her body had instantly led to a call of alarm, and Mei was rushed off to the medical wing. Kiana looked on helplessly as Mei was whisked away on a stretcher, the support staff already calling ahead to prepare a specialized anti-honkai serum.
Bronya allowed her prosthetics to gently place her down next to Kiana and she laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Looks like the priestesses were just as caught off guard as we were,” Bronya said softly.
Kiana let out a frustrated huff, “I don’t understand!” Her voice quickly dropped to a more despairing tone, “This should be easy for her, I don’t understand why it seems to be so painful…”
“Have you considered,” Bronya began hesitantly, “That perhaps her body has not redeveloped its honkai resistance as it should?”
“Why the hell would that happen?” Kiana snapped.
“I don’t know,” Bronya admitted. She held a hand to her chin, Kiana watching as the girl ran through every bit of information her incredible mind could scrounge up, “There may be something more going on than what is in front of our eyes,” She eventually murmured.
Kiana’s brows tightened, her eyes hardening as she grasped her friend’s meaning, “You think…”
“It does not usually act this directly or so ferociously. But it would be a rare chance to bring a powerful vessel into its fold. If it is specifically targeting Mei’s attempts until she breaks…”
For a moment Kiana’s right eye seemed to shift to a brilliant gold. A flash so quick that any onlooker might assume it was simply a trick of the light. Her lips pulled back into a snarl, “Then I’ll just-”
“Neither of you will do anything ,” Bronya said, immediately shutting down any ideas brewing within the Kaslana’s head, “We cannot be reckless considering what we are dealing with.”
The anger quickly faded from Kiana’s expression, “Shit, sorry Bronya,” She rubbed her palm against her eye and sighed, “Fuck, I’m already getting a headache from that.”
“It’s okay, Kiana,” Bronya rubbed her head with a rare gentleness, “Besides, this is the part you’re good at.”
“What do you mean?”
Bronya smiled, “Just believe in Mei.”