KonoImpact!!!! God Blessings On This Mess Up World.

Desire Hunt: The Beginning

The remnants of the Schicksal lab lay in ruins behind them, plumes of smoke rising into the sky as Kiana and Kazuma sprinted across the debris-littered landscape. The air was thick with the scent of burnt metal and concrete, and the ground trembled with the aftershocks of the destruction they had just narrowly escaped.

Kazuma, catching his breath, glanced over at Kiana, who was still holding onto her void katana, its blade shimmering with the last remnants of energy. His mind raced with questions, but one stood out above the rest.

"Kiana," Kazuma started, his tone cautious yet curious, "how did you master the Void powers? I saw you open that portal back there... it was almost identical to the way I use mine."

Kiana slowed her pace slightly, her expression softening as she considered his question. "It's... complicated," she replied, her voice steady. "But Sirin helps most of the time. Without her, I wouldn't be able to control it as well as I do."

Kazuma raised an eyebrow, pondering her words. "Sirin, huh? Guess that makes sense." He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Has anyone ever tried to meet you because of it? Like... the Overseer?"

Kiana tilted her head, a puzzled look crossing her face. "The Overseer? Why would he want to meet me?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Kazuma chuckled, though there was a hint of nervousness in it. "Just a thought. Someone like Otto wouldn't let something like this slide without checking it out. But now that I think about it... maybe he's playing the long game."

As they continued to run, Kazuma's thoughts drifted back to the enigmatic Overseer. He had assumed Otto would be closely monitoring Kiana, perhaps even trying to manipulate her for his own ends. But something didn't add up. Kiana was here, with him, seemingly free from Otto's grasp.

He frowned, a nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Is Otto really that patient, or is something else distracting him?

Little did Kazuma know, Otto's focus was elsewhere, consumed by an entirely different problem—a troublesome child named "Aqua," who was proving to be more of a challenge than he had anticipated.

As they continued their hurried escape from the ruined Schicksal lab, Kiana's curiosity got the better of her. She glanced sideways at Kazuma, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Kazuma, why are you with Anti-Entropy anyway?  What's the deal?"

Kazuma sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to find the right words. "It's... complicated," he finally replied, his tone carrying a hint of weariness. "Let's just say I found myself in the wrong place at the right time—or maybe it was the right place at the wrong time. Either way, I got tangled up with them."

Kiana raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with his vague explanation, but she didn't press further. They both knew there were bigger concerns at hand.

As they approached the outskirts of the lab's grounds, the devastation left behind by the battle was apparent. Scorched earth, twisted metal, and the remnants of high-tech machinery littered the area. The signs of a fierce conflict were everywhere, yet there was an eerie silence—no signs of life or movement.

"The fight's already over," Kiana observed, her voice tinged with unease. "But where is everyone?"

Kazuma scanned the area, noticing the absence of both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy forces. "Looks like we missed the main event," he muttered, feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment. "But we should still be careful. There could be—"

Before he could finish, a figure descended from the sky, landing with a heavy thud not far from where they stood. Kiana immediately drew her void katana, her body tensing as she prepared for another battle.