"Ah!"
i suddenly shot up from the ground. A gentle breeze stirred her hair as she turned her head, her gaze sowhat vacant as she took in the half-crumbled rubble and ruins surrounding her. For a long ti after, her eyes held only a deep, profound confusion.
It wasn’t until a soft groan sounded beside her that she turned to see Bronya sitting up, clutching her forehead.
The sight of her familiar companion made i let out a long, slow breath. Her heavy eyelids snapped open as mories of what had just transpired swirled in her mind, finally coalescing into a rough outline.
"Bronya, are you alright?"
Bronya, still cradling her head, shook it vigorously. She tried to speak, but her throat was too dry, and a series of coughs escaped her instead.
She thumped her chest a few tis, then, as if suddenly rembering sothing, began to frantically fumble around her.
"Seele!"
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for her to find the other girl’s body.
Seele hadn’t woken up with her and i. Bronya checked her pulse and breathing, and the weight on her heart lifted—whatever had happened, at least she was alive.
But another thought soon occurred to her, sothing she had completely overlooked in that "illusion."
Everything that had just happened was both absurd and profoundly shocking. The past, the Herrscher, Michael, a completely different Seele, and finally, the warning from the Michael of the past... So many staggering revelations had converged at once, monopolizing Bronya’s attention. It was only now that she realized it—back in that "illusion" called the past, wasn’t soone missing?
"i-neesan, how’s Kiana?"
But her worries were unfounded. Just as Bronya’s first instinct upon collecting her thoughts was to search for Seele, i had already found Kiana lying beside her as soon as she’d co to her senses.
Hearing Bronya’s question, i propped Kiana’s upper body up and gave Bronya a helpless shake of her head.
In the sudden quiet, Bronya could hear Kiana’s soft snoring.
"Th-This idiot... she’s asleep?"
Well, that was Kiana for you... Er, that sounded exactly like sothing Kiana would do.
Bronya and i exchanged a look, both of them letting out a small sigh of relief.
Though they still didn’t understand what had happened, it seed they weren’t in any imdiate danger. Seele was rely unconscious, and Kiana was just asleep.
But their expressions quickly shifted from relieved to confused...
Bronya blinked.
"i-neesan... weren’t we in the middle of a mission?"
i blinked back. Her first instinct was to reach for her comms device, but a voice beat her to it, speaking up from behind them.
"Are you... Valkyries from Schicksal, too?"
The first fragnts of their mory began to return. The teal-haired girl in the wheelchair asked softly, her head lowered and her shoulders hunched.
i and Bronya glanced at each other. i was the one to answer.
"Yes, the four of us are Valkyries from the Far East Branch. May I ask who you are... wait, you said ’too.’ Does that an..."
"Mhm. A Valkyrie squad ca by earlier. After making sure I was safe, their captain ordered them to search the base for survivors. I haven’t seen them since. I don’t know what happened, but in my current state... it’s not like I can go look for them."
As she spoke in a flat, even tone, i and Bronya’s eyes drifted down to her legs, which were tightly wrapped in multiple layers of bandages.
"Your... your legs. Is that first aid they gave you... No, that’s not right!"
Bronya quickly dismissed her own guess.
"There’s no blood on the bandages, and this isn’t how you’d treat a fracture... Your legs were like this before you t them, weren’t they?"
The teal-haired girl’s eyes flickered, and she nodded with so hesitation.
"Yes. There’s a problem with my legs. For now... I can only use a wheelchair."
Bronya wrung her hands, her brow furrowed. Only now did she notice that the girl was wearing a pale blue hospital gown, the kind used for surgery.
To be honest, from the mont she had been inexplicably dragged into that illusion until now, her mind had been in a dizzying fog. But with each passing mont, her thoughts grew clearer, and she instantly recognized too many inconsistencies.
How could a girl, so disabled she was confined to a wheelchair, have survived when the entire base was destroyed by a Herrscher? And not just survived, but escaped without a single scratch.
If Squad Snow Lotus were still here, they could ask them what happened. But according to this girl, the entire squad had vanished without a trace after eting her...
Had they really just vanished?
Bronya shifted her position imperceptibly, her left hand already closing around the pistol at Seele’s waist. With her and i supporting Seele and Kiana, escape would be impossible if her suspicions proved true.
"Um, may I ask who you are? Are you also a Valkyrie from Schicksal’s Oceania Branch?"
Bronya’s gaze swept ticulously over the girl’s gown and wheelchair, finding nothing that could prove her identity.
However, she did notice sothing unexpected. The mont she ntioned "Schicksal," the girl in front of them lowered her head a little deeper before answering in a small voice.
"Yes. I am Wendy, an A-rank Valkyrie of the Oceania Branch."
She silently omitted the "Schicksal" part.
"It’s... nice to et you, Miss Wendy. This is B-rank Valkyrie i, and Bronya is B-rank Valkyrie Bronya... Ahem!"
Bronya felt her scalp tingle. Even she had no idea how to handle the current situation.
Thankfully, after a harsh burst of static, Hiko’s urgent voice ca through their earpieces.
"Kiana, i, Bronya, Seele, what’s your status?"
Bronya took the opportunity to step back, giving i a subtle hand signal before responding to Hiko.
"Bronya and i-neesan are fine. Seele and Kiana seem to be unconscious. What just happened? Were the comms cut off?"
"They were. The exact cause is unknown, but we suspect it was due to the extre density of Honkai energy. Looks like we need to get that new quantum communication tech implented ASAP, heh."
Bronya wasn’t sure if Hiko was trying to lighten the mood with a dry joke, but it certainly wasn’t funny. It was, however, quite cold.
"We just made contact with S-rank Valkyrie Durandal. She was supposed to head to your position, but an anomalous Honkai energy reading flared up near Michael and Rita’s location. We suspect a Herrscher. Durandal is prioritizing their support, so you are to continue your primary mission: search for Squad Snow Lotus and any survivors from the Oceania Branch. Don’t worry about the fight over there."
"Huh?"
Bronya’s tongue felt tied. She shot a surprised look at Wendy, just as the other girl seed to sense her gaze and looked up, their eyes eting.
Hiss...
Bronya looked away, slightly embarrassed. Was she just being paranoid?
Regardless, Wendy was a survivor from the Oceania Branch. It was her duty to report this to Hiko.
"Major Hiko, reporting. We’ve found a survivor from the Oceania Branch. She claims to be an A-rank Valkyrie nad Wendy."
"Oh? You work fast. I’ll verify the information. If she checks out, I’ll send her file to your terminals for a quick confirmation... Hiss... Wait a minute, Wendy... Wendy, that na sounds familiar... Theresa, co take a look. Does this kid ring a bell?"
Bronya pursed her lips, though she wasn’t surprised by Hiko’s "sounds familiar." She wasn’t an airhead like Kiana who never paid attention to anything. A quick browse of the Valkyrie forums was enough to know that even now, St. Freya Academy’s educational model was a subject of mixed opinions within Schicksal. Not to ntion, in the academy’s early years, Hiko had traveled all over Schicksal to recruit students, often eting privately with exceptionally talented Valkyries. It was probably normal for her to find the na Wendy familiar.
Just as she was thinking this, Theresa’s voice ca over the comms.
"Wendy? Wendy from the Oceania Branch? Are you sure it’s her?"
"Yes," Bronya answered quickly.
"It... It really is her... She was a genius-level Valkyrie. Despite not being a natural Stigmata wielder, she possessed imnse talent. For a ti, she was considered the most promising candidate to beco Schicksal’s third S-rank Valkyrie of this generation."
"The third S-rank Valkyrie?"
Bronya looked at Wendy in astonishnt. If it weren’t for her youthful appearance... she couldn’t be much older than Bronya herself.
"I’ll use my clearance to check. Got it. Wendy, A-rank Valkyrie, Oceania Branch. In 2014, participated in Mission XXX, resulting in permanent disability? What the hell? My clearance level can’t even access the mission na?"
Hiko sounded deeply displeased. Within Schicksal, A-rank Valkyries might seem like background characters to the S-ranks, but in reality, the hierarchy of authority and privilege placed the Overseer at the top, followed by the S-ranks, and then the A-ranks. S-rank Valkyries didn’t exactly grow on trees; after Cecilia’s death, for example, Schicksal went over a decade without one. During that ti, A-ranks were the absolute elite. If sothing was classified even to an A-rank Valkyrie, it had to be a secret within a secret within a secret.
"Hey, Theresa, don’t you have higher clearance? Give it a try."
"Sigh... There’s no need. I’ll just tell you. Hiko, do you rember what Grandpa Otto and Rita said before?"
"What... No way. You an, the Gem of Desire!?"
"Yes. I secretly looked into it a while ago. Because the Gem of Desire is a Herrscher Core, an ordinary person can’t control such imnse power, and Schicksal obviously wouldn’t let an S-rank Valkyrie take such a huge risk... So, the final candidate was Wendy. In the end, the experint was both a success and a failure. The Gem of Desire was successfully implanted into Wendy’s legs, but she couldn’t fully withstand its power. And so her legs..."
"How... could they..."
Bronya’s mouth fell open, but she didn’t know what to say, or what she even could say.
"So, the Gem of Desire and the Gem of Conquest... are they the sa kind of thing? Does Wendy’s body also have..."
i, who had been silent all this ti, suddenly spoke up. No one found her question abrupt; if anything, everyone had expected her to ask it.
"Yes. The Gem of Conquest and the Gem of Desire are fundantally the sa. They are both Herrscher Cores."
"So, that ans there’s a Herrscher’s consciousness inside Wendy’s body too, right?" i asked again, repeating herself.
"Yes," Theresa answered without hesitation, but then quickly backtracked. "Ah... wait, no... Your situation doesn’t necessarily apply to all Herrschers. We can’t say for sure what it’s like for Wendy..."
"No, I don’t have one. I’m just . I haven’t felt another consciousness," Wendy said, shaking her head numbly. Though her legs were crippled, her constitution as both a Valkyrie and a "Herrscher" ant her hearing was sharp enough to clearly make out their conversation over the comms.
"Wendy..."
i clenched her fists, her expression pained. She bit her lower lip and forced a gentle smile.
"It’s alright, Wendy. Co back with us. Co to the Far East Branch. We’ll find a way to help you."
"Help... ? Heh, help ?"
Wendy lifted her head to the dark, teal sky, her eyes empty and unfocused. Her voice was tinged with confusion and disbelief.
"Yes, we’ll—"
"You’re Schicksal Valkyries, aren’t you? I’ll never trust Schicksal again. Not a single person from there. You might as well just kill now."
Wendy’s words made i’s smile freeze on her face.
"i."
Theresa’s voice ca through the comms again, turned down to the lowest volu.
"i, please, you must bring Wendy back alive. You’re the only one who can do this. As for any pressure from HQ, the academy will handle all of it."
If there was anyone here who could understand Wendy, it was i.
One was the princess of Corp, the other was Schicksal’s most talented A-rank Valkyrie. They both had bright futures.
But everything had changed because of a tiny gem. Comparing their situations, i felt she had been incredibly lucky. Though the Herrscher of Thunder had once taken over her body and caused an irreversible disaster, she had managed to suppress the Herrscher’s power with everyone’s help. Her body hadn’t even suffered any permanent damage... Ah, no, that wasn’t right... She flexed the joints of her right hand. It was a prosthetic Michael had made for her using so unknown technology. It felt no different from flesh and blood, moved with a single thought, and would even bleed if injured in battle. She sotis wondered if it was really a prosthetic at all...
Wait, that’s it!
i suddenly held her right hand out in front of Wendy.
"Wendy, my na is Raiden i. I was the one chosen to beco the Herrscher of Thunder during the Nagazora Eruption two years ago."
Wendy lowered her head to et her gaze, her expression unchanged. It made sense. i had already ntioned the Gem of Conquest and Herrschers during their call with Hiko and Theresa, so Wendy wouldn’t be surprised by this.
"This arm... was once amputated. Look at it now. Can you tell it’s a prosthetic?"
Wendy tilted her head slightly, averting her eyes.
But for so reason, her right hand moved on its own, rising to take i’s.
"This..."
Her eyes widened in an instant. The palm was soft, warm, with the faint clamminess of sweat. This was clearly...
"You’re lying! This isn’t a prosthetic at all!"
"You don’t have to believe , but I have no reason to lie. I can’t guarantee we can heal you completely, but at least there’s hope, isn’t there?"
Wendy’s brow trembled violently. Her breathing grew heavy, and one hand gripped the armrest of her wheelchair so tightly her knuckles turned white.
After a long mont, her body went slack. She leaned back against her chair, looking up at the sky, and said no more.
Seeing her chance, i pressed on.
"Wendy... I know what Schicksal did to you... the harm they caused... But please, believe in us. The Schicksal Far East Branch and... er... we’re different. Look at ! I’m a Herrscher, too. My na is Raiden i. As a Valkyrie, you must have seen the files on Nagazora City. Even if you haven’t, you have the clearance to look them up, right? You can check for yourself. I’m a Herrscher, yet I can live freely at the Far East Branch and even fight on the front lines against the Honkai. You were once the best A-rank Valkyrie there was. I know you can do even better than !"
"The Far East Branch..." Wendy murmured, and then, a flicker of light appeared in her eyes. "The Far East Branch... No, I rember now. You’re from... St. Freya Academy, right?"
"Yes. I’m surprised you know the academy’s na."
"Heh..."
A pained laugh escaped Wendy’s lips.
"Actually... right after I beca a Valkyrie, Hiko ca to the Oceania Branch for a presentation. I hesitated for a long ti, but in the end, I chose not to go to St. Freya Academy... What a pity. If only I had been a little more decisive back then..."
"It’s not too late!" i squeezed Wendy’s hand tightly. "No matter what, things can’t possibly get any worse. Please, trust us, Wendy!"
Wendy closed her eyes, silent. Ten seconds passed. i didn’t rush her, simply waiting quietly.
"Okay."
Wendy agreed.
A genuine smile blossod on i’s face.
"Ahem. It’s wonderful that Miss Wendy is willing to trust us, but... i-neesan, Principal, Major Hiko, there’s sothing... I don’t know if this is the right ti to say it, but..."
"Say it."
"Um... if Wendy, who has the Gem of Desire, is here... then what exactly is it that Michael and the others have encountered over there?"
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