Helios meeting room. Following day: "Ugh... this piece is now trash." It was a core component to the Raikiri blade just a few hours ago. Tesla sighed and threw it away. Tesla disassembled Raikiri and arranged the components neatly before her. "Apparently someone broke the blade, the hilt, the moderation circuit... and even the energy valve. Great. I might as well build a brand new one from scratch." "......" Mei remained silent and "busied herself" by sorting out the files piled on another desk.
Mei's point of view:
We had spent months on a non-stop search for Kiana, Patrick, and Himeko. Intel came in from all over the world. Useful data was printed out, filed, and gradually filled this room. Still thinking about her?" "Yes..." "Look on the bright side. At least she and him are not in the hands of Schicksal or the World Serpent. We'd have to thank the Guardian Dragon for helping them escape." A few hours ago, Anti-Entropy (AE) was informed that the Serpent raided Schicksal's labs in North Africa. Not much was known about the battle, but everyone was sure that the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of the Dragon escaped. Then they flew away on the Guardian Dragon Toriyama. And the race to them has started once again.
We breathed a sigh of relief, but the sense of apprehension quickly returned. "There are just the two of us here. Do you want to talk about it?" "...Kiana-chan... she's... changed. I can't describe how she's changed. Did she grow up? Become more mature? It doesn't feel right. She had always been loud and restless. From the day we first met, I never knew she could ever be quiet or patient. She was surely a trouble maker, but I always found that reassuring. But something changed when I met her and Patrick-kun again in Arc..." The look on my face sank, and so did my voice. "She's... quiet... too quiet. I can't even recognize her. It takes a lot of painful experience to change someone like that... anything could happen in 4 months... Even now she's probably out there alone, enduring pain that we could hardly imagine... I just wish I could find her..." I paused before continuing.
"And Patrick-kun... he's changed too... he's turned into a cold blooded murderer wanting revenge on Rita, Durandal, and Overseer Otto. He tried to murder Rita but Kiana-chan prevented him from doing it. I saw the burning rage in his eyes when he fought against Durandal. He's been seeking revenge on Schicksal for everything they've done and what they've done to Kiana-chan. He wanted to murder Overseer Otto to make sure that he never kills anyone again. He wanted to end Schicksal's experimentations to liberate the children who were taken away from their families and to set them free from Schicksal. When he raged out in front of me, I witnessed him kill a lot of people loyal to Otto who knew what was going to happen and all the horrible things they've done with no regret." "...don't be too hard on yourself. It's bad for your health. And we're doing everything we can. Erm, just help me clear the desks. I need to make another run to the intel room." Just before she left the room, Tesla turned around and took one last worried glance at me. Alone, I sorted the files but my troubled mind was filled with images of my best friend Kiana.
4 months passed since the Battle of Schicksal. Kiana and Patrick must have witnessed many cities in ruins and the devastation caused by the Honkai. Did she blame herself for all those killed by the Great Eruption? Did she decide to take on this burden alone? Patrick said that she refused to return to me because she was scared that Sirin would kill me and the others. Kiana didn't want to risk putting me in danger and wanted to stay away from me. Those were the answers to my questions. In that battle, Patrick as the Herrscher of the Dragon killed many people loyal to Otto because of all the horrible things they've done and what Schicksal has done to Kiana and to her family. He had no hesitation of trying to kill Rita and held nothing back when fighting against Durandal. He's turned violent with sorrow and desperation. He only wanted to protect Kiana from Schicksal and the World Serpent. I felt something about him I've never felt before.
I shuddered. Though my wounds healed, the pain in my heart grew even more intense. Kiana's words echoed in my memories. "No... I can't go back, Mei-senpai. I'm sorry... I can't go back... I can't put you all in danger again." Even Patrick's words echoed in my memories. ""It is! He's murdered billions and is the reason for why everything has been happening in the past 4 months! The reason why half of humanity has been wiped out, the reason why Kiana was turned into a Herrscher, AND THE REASON WHY MAJOR HIMEKO IS DEAD! ... Himeko-Sensei is gone because of Otto Apocalypse... Another reason why I'm going to kill him. I now have my own Divine Keys to end that bas****'s life for good to make sure that he never does the same thing he did 4 months ago. ... I've had to keep Kiana safe from Schicksal and World Serpent for the past 4 months and now we got captured again by Raven and Jackal but managed to escape but the next time we won't be able to escape if we get captured again by Schicksal or World Serpent. Kiana has been refusing to return to you and the others like a wanted fugitive cast into exile never to return home ever again..."
I wanted to forget this but it was all I had. I felt like a cold, dead stone sinking in an icy, dark lake. For the first time after meeting Kiana, I felt that the girl had become... ...a stranger...
*THUD*
Dr. Tesla slammed open the door. "Mei, pack your gear. Let's go!" "What happened, Dr. Tesla?" "We... we found them!!" "WHERE?!" "Nagazora City."
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Honkai Impact 3rd Main Storyline Chapter 16: Imminent Storm
FanfictionA retelling of chapter 16 from Honkai Impact 3rd in my imagination.
