Chapter Text
Ren woke to the sound of an announcement system dying.
It started with a woman's voice, calm in that pre-recorded way that only public safety systems have, coming from speakers hidden above the avenue. Her words were clear but far away, telling people to stay calm, avoid crowded routes, and follow city instructions. Then the voice faltered; the words dragged out, like tape stuck in a player. A sharp squeal cut through the street, and the announcement dissolved into a static that made Ren's ears pop.
He opened his eyes to a sky tinted purple.
Lying on his back on the cold pavement, one cheek wet from a shallow puddle, he stared up between the dark shapes of tall buildings. Over the city, clouds twisted slowly in nauseating spirals, purple-black with faint violet veins. Rain hung in the air as a damp mist, sparkling oddly in the light from flickering advert lights.
Not far from him, he saw an advertisement for some kind of restaurant that claimed to have the best ramen in all of...
Nagazora.
The name hit him so hard he almost choked. When he pushed himself up, his hands hitting the asphalt, pain shot through his palms.
"Ah- damn."
His voice came out hoarse, thinner than he expected.
Ren looked down at himself.
Black hoodie and dark jeans. Scuffed sneakers. A cheap gray shirt underneath with a damp collar. Nothing special. Nothing that explained why he seemed to have fallen asleep in one world and woken up in another, on a street that should only exist in fiction. His phone, wallet, and keys were all missing. In the hoodie's front pocket, he found only a receipt from a convenience store he didn't know and a bent coin, warm and almost alive in his hand.
He dropped the coin from his shaking hands, which rang loudly on the pavement.
Ren didn´t know what to do.
The street looked like normal life just…suddenly stopped. A row of bikes was tangled near the curb. One still had a pastel schoolbag in its basket, with mist-warped notebooks visible through the open zipper. A vending machine blinked beside a closed café, its bright display showing peach soda and canned coffee, while something dark leaked from behind it. A small car was up on the sidewalk with the driver's door open. There was no driver, nor blood- just a pair of glasses on the seat, one lens cracked.
A breeze moved through the avenue and carried the smell of wet concrete and something metallic beneath it.
Ren knew enough to be afraid.
His mind raced for answers but found only confusion. This had to be a dream or a hallucination. Was he in some kind of coma? Or maybe he had a mental break. Maybe a virtual reality test that felt too real. He grabbed at each idea, but his body kept proving them wrong. The sting in his scraped palms, the ache in his knees, the cold of wet jeans, and the sour taste of panic in his mouth all did.
Nagazora.
Third Honkai Eruption.
Mei. Kiana. Bronya. Cocolia. The birth of the Herrscher of Thunder. Dead streets. Zombies. Honkai beasts. People dying outright or twisting into zombies because Honkai energy could turn a human body into abominations.
Ren bent forward and nearly vomited.
His stomach clenched until his ribs hurt, but nothing came up. He hadn't eaten anything in too long. That realization arrived with its own small horror, however. He had no idea when he´d last eaten anything. His last memory belonged to a different life. His cramped room, computer glow, rain tapping against a window, an old blanket around his shoulders, a half-finished video playing while he tried not to think about tomorrow. There´d been no truck, no flash of light, no divine mistake. He remembered rubbing his tired eyes. He remembered wishing, with a bitterness he´d trained himself never to speak aloud, that he could simply stop being the person everyone thought he was.
Then Nagazora.
Ren made himself stand up properly. His knees shook, and he hated that feeling even more than the situation itself. That emotional reaction was too old and hard a habit to shake. Don't look weak. Don't shake. Don't make that face. Don't sound like that. Don't be soft. Don't want anything. Desires just gave people something to use against you.
He wiped his wet cheek with his sleeve and looked around for shelter.
The city answered with a distant scream.
Ren's head snapped toward the sound. It came from several blocks away, thin and human, followed by a crash that rattled windows all along the avenue. A flock of birds erupted from a rooftop with their wings beating in a frantic black cloud before something purple flashed behind the buildings. Thunder rolled a heartbeat later, although no lightning had fallen from the sky.
"Okay," Ren whispered to himself, "Okay. Move- just move."
He chose the direction opposite the scream.
He was a coward.
It was also the only reasonable choice for someone whose fighting experience was limited to video games, late-night wiki searches, and carrying heavy grocery bags. Ren moved toward the sidewalk, staying close to the storefronts. Most were closed and some were wrecked from the inside, glass scattered across the pavement. He passed a boutique with mannequins in summer dresses, whose blank faces stared at him through cracked glass. One wore a pale pink cardigan over a white skirt with a ribbon at the collar, looking so delicate and sweet that Ren's chest tightened before he quickly looked away.
God was he stupid.
There were monsters and death lurking at every corner and here he was admiring clothes he´d never get to wear anyway.
A traffic light above the intersection flickered red, green, red, green, purple.
Ren stopped beneath it.
Wait, purple?
The light flashed again, and for a moment the whole intersection seemed to shift. The crosswalk lines shimmered like they were seen through a heat haze. Ren felt a pressure behind his eyes, a deep humming that moved from the base of his skull down his spine. It gave him a strange feeling. Like hearing your name from another room and your body turning before you knew why.
He staggered, one hand flying to a street sign.
Images flashed.
A city beneath a white sun.
A crystal tower standing defiant at the end of everything.
A woman laughing with blood on her lips, pink hair streaming behind her like a banner, eyes bright as dawn over a battlefield that stretched past the horizon.
His A hand, pressing against a door made of living light.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A voice saying, "If the end remembers every ending, then we will teach the beginning how to lie, so that one day, we may deceive fate itself."
Ren gasped and nearly fell.
The intersection returned. The traffic light blinked ordinary red.
"What the hell," he breathed.
Something scraped behind him.
Ren turned too slowly.
A woman stood in the middle of the road.
Or at least what used to be a woman. She wore a business suit with a torn shoulder, one sleeve hanging loose. Her skin was gray-white, with purple cracks spreading across her throat and jaw like glowing veins. Her head jerked at an odd angle. One hand held a leather briefcase while the other had changed, the fingers fused and sharpened into a curved, pale blade.
A Honkai zombie.
Ren stopped breathing.
The thing's face shifted and its mouth opened. A low, wet clicking came from its throat, followed by a rasping moan that raised every hair on Ren's arms.
"Haaah… hrrrk…"
Ren fled.
He didn't really choose to run- his body just took over and threw him down the street.His sneakers slid on the wet pavement. The zombie screamed behind him, closer than he expected. Ren's lungs soon started burning. He´d never been athletic. Never been the kind of person who´d be useful in an apocalypse. His hoodie felt heavy with moisture, dragging at his shoulders. His heart pounded in his ears.
Another zombie lurched from an alley ahead.
Ren swerved into the road, barely avoiding the swipe of a bladed arm. The creature's claws tore through the side of his hoodie, and cold air kissed his ribs. He yelped despite himself, stumbled, caught his balance on the hood of the abandoned car, and kept running.
Running the wrong way. With no map, no weapon, nor a plan.
A convenience store appeared on the corner with its automatic doors half-open, twitching against a fallen display rack. Ren lunged through the gap, shoulder scraping glass, and slammed into the rack hard enough to knock snack bags across the floor. Pain burst through his upper arm. He ignored it and shoved the rack fully against the entrance. It probably wasn't going to hold, but at least it would give him some precious seconds. The zombie outside crashed into the glass a moment later, spiderweb cracks spreading outward beneath its distorted hand.
Ren backed away, panting.
The convenience store smelled of spilled beer. Fluorescent lights buzzed above and one light flickered, making the aisles shift between light and shadow. Ren grabbed the closest thing that could be used as a weapon- a metal-tipped umbrella from a stand near the register, whose handle was shaped like a cartoon cat. He stared at it for a moment, hardly believing the absurdity of it, then held it tightly with both hands.
The zombie struck the door again and the glass cracked further.
"Stay out," Ren said, voice shaking so badly it came out pathetic. "Just- just stay out!"
The glass broke.
The creature forced itself through the gap with no concern for the shards slicing its torso. Purple fluid smeared the doorframe. Ren raised the umbrella as if he had any idea how to fight. The zombie lunged.
Ren swung.
The umbrella hit the zombie's head with a hollow clang, and the shock of the impact ran up Ren's arms. The zombie pulled back, more surprised than hurt, and Ren used that moment to dart sideways down an aisle. His hip hit shelves of bottled tea and plastic bottles tumbled behind him, rolling under the zombie's feet. It slipped, crashed into the shelves, and knocked down a whole row of packaged bread.
Ren nearly laughed.
It came out as a strangled sob.
He ran for the employee door at the back. Locked. Of course it was locked. He shook the handle once, twice, then looked over his shoulder. The zombie was rising, its briefcase having finally fallen from its grip with a sad little thump.
The humming returned.
This time it bloomed in Ren's chest.
The air felt heavier. The flickering fluorescent light stretched into long lines. Drops from a leaking ceiling pipe hung in the air like beads on invisible strings. Ren's panic grew, becoming so great that he felt oddly clear headed.
He knew this feeling.
He didn´t know how, or why. But he knew it.
The lock in front of him was simple. Metal pins with spring tension. A little machine designed to decide yes or no. Closed or open. Start or Stop.
Ren pressed his palm against it.
For a moment, something warm unfurled beneath his skin.
A pink-white glow spread between his fingers. The lock clicked and the employee door opened.
Ren stared.
The zombie screamed.
Ren dove through the doorway and slammed it shut. The stockroom was cramped and dark, with cardboard boxes stacked everywhere. He grabbed for anything to block the door. The mop handle was useless, but the rolling cart with drink crates worked better. He shoved it in place just as the zombie slammed into the other side.
The door buckled.
Ren backed away until he hit the rear exit.
This one only had a push bar.
He almost cried from relief.
Outside, a narrow service alley ran between buildings, filled with trash bags and plastic crates. Ren rushed into it and kept running, coming out onto a smaller street just as the rain started pouring down. Heavy drops hit the pavement, making everything darker. Far off in the distance, more sirens wailed, then fell silent one after another.
He didn´t stop until his legs gave out beneath an elevated pedestrian walkway.
Ren collapsed behind a concrete support, curled forward, and clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle his breathing. His whole body shook and his palms still glowed faintly.
He looked at them.
The light slowly faded.
"No way," he whispered.
Now he had more to fear than just monsters. In the world of Honkai, glowing hands didn´t mean safety. In Honkai, power was often little more than a curse, each one with worse consequences than the last.
Stigmata powers? If you weren´t a natural Stigmata bearer, then the more you used your power, the faster you´d die. Just look at Himeko.
Herrscher powers? Ren had no delusions about the strength of his will. The moment the Honkai tried to take him over, he´d no doubt lose, becoming little more than a prisoner in his own body. Not that he didn´t already feel like that anyway.
"No, no, no…"
He scraped his palms against his jeans as if he could wipe the light away.
A laugh echoed faintly in his memories.
~
Y̵̵̨̡̲͇̠͍̲̲͙̹͓̥͓͎͆̀̄ͦ̓̐̋ͥ̏̿̈́̑̕͞͝ò̵̶̡̢̧̤̯̲̖͉̝͉̞͍͙̝̪̳ͩͧ͐̒͆͆͆̽̓͒́͠ư̶̢̘̝̩͕̟̭̺̩̾̌̐ͨ̍ͥͫ̏͏̩͏̵̠̱̭̜ͩ͢͝͡ a̛̛̛͔̮̘̜̮̗͌ͦ̑ͩ̄̂ͧ̎͗̈͆͜͠͏̶̢͖̞͖͆͊͜l̨̡͎̰͇͈͓͚̮͓̹͂ͭ̽ͯͦ̇ͣ̊͆̈́̈́̋ͨ̍̓̂̚̕͟͝w̸̬̼͕̣͈̖̥̻̙̤͓̟͓̳̦̱͙ͪ̑ͦͤ̑̎̄͌͌͛͘͜͝a̵̴̛̠͖̬͚̟͔̼͚̬͚͔͊ͩ̔̊ͦͤ̋́͑ͯ̇́̌́̕͟ͅy̵̨͔̤̳͖͚̲̭̱ͯ̎̃̈́̌ͭ̐̚͘͜͝͏̘͙̞̒ͪ͌͒̕ͅsͤ̀̏͝͏̵̶̙̯͖͙̪̱̪͍ͧͧ̌ͧ͛ͫͪ̎́̈́̄̈̑͜͡͞ m̡̫͎̯̭͍̗͙̺͚̩̮̖̏ͭ̎͛̎̾ͯ͊ͬ̆̈ͤ̿̆͑ͯ̍͟a̶͏̪̖̖͇̹͙͎͇̻̪͍ͤͤͥ́̎́̋̀͋͑̈́̌̉ͪ̎̚͘͠k̨̬̮̓́̿̋͏̸̵̫̖̲͈̱̗͕̯͆̒͆̽͑ͪ́̓ͤͪ̕̕͜e̶̡̻̦̣͓̫̦͙̜͈̽̓̎ͨ̑̅ͭ̀ͤ̑̄̀̀̄̂ͧ́ͮ́͞ ŝ̵̵̙͖̻̖̯̬͒̑̑̔ͫ̎͘͟͠͏̴̧̼̖̬̲͙̄̃̓́̀ǔ̼̫͚̙̬̮͛͋̌͒ͭ̀͠͠͏̵̷̧̦̰͇̘̤͇͎͇̋͒͝͞c̸̝̦̟͚̯̫͈̖̘̹̩ͬͧ͊͋̿ͨ̇ͭ̓ͫͨͣ̐̈ͥ͐ͭ́ͅh̶̢̨̢̨̲͔̭̜͖͉̰̗̣͖̞̯̀̂͋̆͆̽̉͆͐͘͢͡ͅͅ ć̵̷̵̸̢̢̻͖̹̙̤̪̃ͥ̈͌̈́̈͊ͦͮ͌͒̃͆̕͜͡͞͠u͈̮̞͓̬̿̾́̌́̒̓͑ͧ̈́ͩ͏͙̘͖̿̏ͭ̿ͮͫͩ̉̍̂͟t̷͔̩̝̘̣̣ͦ̓̃ͦ̓ͫ̍̽ͭ̏͊͗̾́͐͐͆̌ͥͮ͐͘͜͟e̡͎͖͎̮̞͚̙̫̣͙̦͋͒͋̔̂͑ͫ̎̔͛̅͡ͅ͏̸̣̙̻̎ e̡̦͛̅͡͏̸̴̣̙̻̙̩̭͙͇̱̎̐ͭ͑ͥ͒̈́͗͂́͘͜͠ͅx̸̶̡̦͙̪̩̫̱̯̪̬͔͂̓̆ͪ̀̃ͦͩ̀̀̓ͭ̕͢͜͠͏̺p̷̢̜̬͙̬̼̞̳̯̟̪̋͑́ͫ͒ͯ̿̈́ͩͣ͐ͦ̈́̊͌̄̈́̕ͅr̸̨̖̤̖̜͉͙̪͓͚͎̟ͪ̏ͧ̀̏̋̀ͫ̀͋̾̍ͭͫͤ̆͜͞ę̸̷̧̢̭̭̪͖̫͕̣̱̖̖̬̓ͭ̉̊̿ͥ̽͐ͮ͊̿̑ͩ͡͡s̸̶̨̧̨͓͉̗̯̭̦̟̜̟̊̓̀͐́̀̓̏̽ͪ͗͘͟͢͜͟͠ş̸̶̨̗̯̭̦̟̜̟͙̦̣̥̓̏̽ͪ͗ͯ̅̎̾̓͘͢͜͟͠͡ḯ̗̯̯̮̙͈̻͖̳̰̟̘̱̮͕̺̥̤͙̞̘̀̎ͮ̑ͯͣͧ͝ͅo̸̧͎̰̼̟͎̯̠̜̫̘̘̝̮͖̲͕ͯ͊̃ͭ̽̏̔̿͗̉͘͢͠n̖̟̻̾͛͊̕͏̧̫̻̫̳̤̻͙ͧ͂̀͑ͬ̍͊̌̒̈́̎͒ͮ͘͘s̡̡̨̨̪͔̭͚̩̙̦̫̱̺̮̔͂ͨ̿ͥ̄̔̌ͭ͑̒̓̎͑͡͞,̵̴̴̢̛̛̗̞̠̙̳̙̘͉̟̗̅̈́̾̿̀̑ͨͣͯ͋͂ͧ̀͠͞ Y̴̶̙̠̹̮͖̣̟̞̣͔̪͖͋͗̉͋ͯ̐̉ͭ̽̈̾̅͐̄̃̕͟ǔ̢̢̧͇̤̝̭̘͎̯̜͍̩̖̝̯͚̈̍̈́̈́ͭ͛ͧ͐͢͟͡͞͞ņ̵̷̢̢̢̧̰̟̗̪̱̪͕̙̘͒͗͗͂́́̋̉̌͑ͨ͘͘͠͠a̴͍̟̰͔͚̞̥̝̹͔̝͔͎͊ͧͯ̄ͯ̋̊ͤ͆ͩ̊ͮ͋̀ͮ͟͠.̶̡̻̪̫͍̮̦̳̪̟̙̤͍̲̖͈̐͒͊ͨ̐̀͛͗̎̄́̓̚ͅ~̸̸͔̬̝̳̻͇̝̖̙̩͎̬̈͂̓̓̑̐̔̏̌̂́́͂͆ͥ̄͝
Ren jerked upright.
"Who said that?!" Ren demanded, and immediately hated how high his voice rose at the end.
Silence.
Then footsteps came.
Human footsteps, splashing through puddles.
Ren pressed himself behind the support and tightened his grip on the umbrella. He didn´t want to fight another zombie. He couldn't fight another zombie. His arms felt like wet paper and his chest hurt. He was cold, lost, and trapped inside the first hour of a disaster he knew from the wrong side of a screen.
The footsteps grew closer.
A girl's voice rang out, breathless and annoyed. "Stupid signal… stupid old man. 'Kiana, a Kaslana trusts her instincts!' Yeah? My instincts got me lost three times! Mei's gonna kill me if the zombies don't!"
Ren's heart stopped for an entirely new reason.
White hair swung into view.
The girl skidded around the corner with a metal bat in one hand and a schoolbag bouncing against her hip. She wore a Chiba Academy uniform with an open jacket and the tie loose, with rain plastering parts of her hair to her cheeks. Blue eyes sharp with adrenaline swept the alley, landed on Ren's hiding place, and narrowed.
For a split second, neither moved.
Kiana Kaslana looked younger than she did in the game's later tragedies. Her face was softer, still bright and reckless. She had a scrape on her knee and dirt on her sleeve, and held the bat like she expected trouble and was ready to deal with it herself.
Ren's first thought was not profound.
Oh no, she's real.
His second thought followed immediately.
Oh no, she's short.
Ok that was a bit unfair. She wasn´t actually that short. She was just a teenage girl standing several meters away in the rain, and Ren's brain, desperate for any detail that wasn´t cosmic horror, latched onto the fact that the legendary Kiana Kaslana was an actual person with wet socks, a scowling mouth and a bat wrapped in athletic tape.
Kiana pointed the bat at him.
"You alive?"
Ren blinked. "What?"
"Alive," she repeated, louder, as if volume could help with comprehension. "Breathing? Not a zombie? Not about to bite me? Basic stuff like that."
"I- yeah. I'm alive."
"Good." Kiana lowered the bat halfway, then raised it again when he shifted. "You sure?"
Ren stared at her, and Kiana stared back with suspicion.
A zombie shrieked somewhere behind her.
Kiana's expression changed from suspicion to irritation.
"Oh, come on!"
Three infected figures stumbled into the alley. Kiana turned before Ren could warn her. The first zombie lunged, and she hit it with an upward swing of her bat, cracking it under the chin and knocking it off its feet. She moved quickly and with instinct, not yet the skilled Valkyrie she would become, but already fierce in the way Kaslanas were known for. She faced fear head-on, ready to fight.
The second zombie slashed at her. Kiana ducked under the claws, drove her shoulder into its midsection, and slammed it against the alley wall so hard the brick actually cracked. She grinned.
"Hah! Too slow!"
The third slipped past her toward Ren.
He tried to stand, but his legs betrayed him. The zombie's jaws opened with purple light pulsing in its throat. Ren raised the umbrella with both hands, knowing it wouldn´t be enough.
A flash of white crossed his vision.
Kiana landed between them and kicked the zombie square in the chest. The impact launched it backward into a stack of crates, which exploded in a shower of plastic and rainwater. She followed instantly, her bat spinning once before she brought it down with a decisive crack.
The alley fell quiet except for rain.
Kiana exhaled, rolled her shoulders, and turned back to Ren with a proud little tilt to her chin. "See? You stay behind me. Zombies get whacked. Nice and simple."
Ren couldn´t speak.
He´d seen Kiana fight in the game. He´d watched battles where numbers floated above enemies and health bars made danger seem simple. But nothing prepared him for seeing her in real life, breathing hard, rain dripping from her hair, and having just saved him with a bat and a grin.
She stepped closer.
Ren flinched before he could stop himself.
Kiana´s grin faded.
"Hey," she said, softer. "I'm not gonna hit you."
"I know."
"You looked like you didn't."
Ren swallowed. "I'm... just having a bad day."
Kiana stared at him for one beat, then snorted. "Yeah, don´t we all."
Despite everything, Ren laughed. It was a small, shaky sound, but it made him feel a little better. Kiana looked pleased, as if making someone laugh during a disaster was a win in her book.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Ren."
"Ren what?"
He hesitated.
His old surname was tied to a life that now felt both very recent and impossibly far away. Saying it here felt wrong, like bringing something dead into a place already falling apart.
"Just Ren," he said.
Kiana accepted this with a shrug. "Kiana Kaslana. I'm gonna be the greatest Valkyrie in the world, so you´d best remember it!"
"I know," Ren said before he could stop himself.
Her eyes sharpened. "You know?"
Panic snapped back into place. "I mean- you look like a Valkyrie probably should look like. All heroic and everything..."
Kiana looked down at her soaked school uniform, scraped knee, and battered bat. Then she looked back at him.
"I do?"
"...Kind of?"
Her face lit up with such delight that Ren almost forgot the apocalypse.
"Heh. You've got good eyes!" She planted the bat over one shoulder and offered him her free hand. "Come on, Just Ren. I'm looking for Mei. Tall, long dark-purple hair, super pretty. She worries about everybody except herself, so of course she'd pick today to disappear on me. And she makes amazing food, so finding her is also important for morale."
Ren stared at her hand.
It was gloved, damp from rain, knuckles reddened from impact. A living, real hand.
He shouldn´t take it.
He knew too much. Not enough to be useful, but enough to be dangerous. Kiana wasn´t just Kiana. She was K-423, the vessel Otto had manufactured for Sirin's return. Mei wasn´t just Mei. She was the future Herrscher of Thunder, the lonely girl whose despair cracked open Nagazora. Bronya would come. Cocolia would move pieces across the board. Schicksal would descend. Everyone here stood at the edge of a story made of knives.
Ren had no place in it.
He´d only make things worse.
His glowing hands would likely make sure of it.
Kiana wiggled her fingers impatiently. "Hey, pavement boy. Hand. Take. Standing up is easier that way."
Ren took her hand.
Kiana pulled him up with more strength than he expected, and he stumbled into balance close enough to notice that she smelled like sweat and convenience store candy. She released him without fuss, then frowned at the torn side of his hoodie.
"You got cut?"
"Claws missed me. Mostly."
"'Mostly' doesn´t sound good. Did it break skin?"
"No."
Kiana leaned in to check, and Ren immediately went rigid and she paused again, eyes flicking to his face. This time, she stepped back with exaggerated casualness.
"Fine, I won't grab you without warning. No need to be so nervous."
Heat crawled up Ren's neck. "I'm not nervous."
Kiana looked pointedly at his shaking hands.
Ren shoved them into his hoodie pocket. "I'm just... appropriately concerned."
"That's a fancy way to say you're nervous."
"It's a citywide disaster, I think I´m rather justified to be."
"So you admit it after all!"
He stared at her.
For half a moment, she was someone else.
The same white hair. The same blue eyes. But older somehow- not in years, but in wear and grief. Her clothes became unfamiliar beneath the rain, sharper and more severe, in a style Ren had never seen despite somehow feeling familiar.
And the girl looking back at him wasn't surprised.
Her eyes widened just a little, then softened with an intimacy that felt stronger than simple recognition. Tired, almost disbelieving relief showed in her face, as if she suddenly found hope again after having it long since abandoned.
Her mouth curved, not into Kiana's usual bright, cocky grin, but into a small, crooked smile she seemed to be trying and failing to hide.
She looked fond.
A little hurt.
Almost accusing.
Ḁ̷̢̨̛̭̰̤̟͉͚͍̑̾̀̀̐̐̊̽ͩͥ̍̾̃̚͟͢͢͠͝f̸̴̢̛̯̟͇̥̯͇̝̞͖͕̿̓ͨͫ͗͛̇̎̅ͥ͐̎ͬͩ͒ͨ͢t̨̲̹͙̬͓̗̯͙̳̯͈̞̯̽ͯ̂̓͂ͮ͐̊̿ͥͤͧ̀͘͜͡ͅe̵̴̡̨̧̠̝̼̘̟̞̟̟̱̝̦̯̘͈̠͊̑̑͒̽́̎ͥ̓̐͟r̞̙ͪ͐ͭ̑̄͞͏̴̴͙̪̺̦̥̱͔͔͊ͣ́ͦͦͨ͆͗̃͘͟ͅ s̡̡̖̜͙̺̤͔̻̖͙̭̗͚̜̏͂͂ͧ̍ͫ̋͗̀̂̓ͤ͠͡͞͡ȯ̴̖̫̙̯͎̼̺́ͩ̓͒̃̈ͩ̀ͬͦͥ́̈ͨ̈́̇͒̚͘͠͞͞ l̸̴̨͕̙̤̙̱͚̠͕̣͙̣͇͈̝̃̓͋ͤ͌ͧ́ͦͨͫ́ͭ͢͢ơ̶͖̦̲̠̠̭͖͚͙͔̦̳͍̟͒ͩͬͥ͊̽͆̑ͧ͑̿̿̕͘͡n̸̴̷̶̨̢̘͕͍͖̜̠̺̹̳ͩ̎̇̐̅̀̑́̊͌ͨ́̀̕͝ͅg̴̮͈̱̭͚̗̦̲͈̲̺͕̫̥̹̎͂̔̃ͯ̔̋͌ͭ̆̇̂̇͝͠.̸̧̡̛̥̺̟̠̩̱̫̻̠̘͉̱ͤ́ͧ̽͊̏̅ͦ̌̑̕̚̚̚͡.̸̧̡̛̫̻̠̘͉̱͖̘̲͖͓͊̏̅ͦ̌̑̏ͭ̐́̕̚̚̚͡͞.̸̶̧̡͉̱͖̘̲͖͓͖̞̲ͦ̌̑̏ͭ̐́̑͌̿́̚̚͜͡͞͞ F̶̨̧̛̣̰̯̟͍͓̭̤̲͍͋̅̒̽ͥ͆̓̀̑̋͆̎̌̓ͬ͘͟i͎̩̙͈͉̯̤̲͉̥̱͚̗͗ͮ́͆̔̔͊͒̀́ͥ̊̄̾ͤ̕͢͠n̨̲͇̟̺̟̩͉̺̯̞͙͖͐͋̊ͧ̎ͪ͂͋ͬ́̑ͮ̂͑͌̇͞͝ȁ͓̖̭̊̿͏̸͖̱̘͚̼̘͈̀ͬͩͫ̔̄ͭͤ͛́̑̋͘͟͟͡l̢̛̛͉̰̤͇̱̜͎̣̿ͯ̌ͭͧͫ͂͑́ͣ͒̈͗ͩ̂͘͘̕͢͠l̴̡̛̛͇̱̜͎̣̝̘͚ͫ͂͑́ͣ͒̈͗ͩ̂͌͗͊̌ͧ͘͘̕͠y̧̛̠̤̥̗͉͕̝̐̌̀ͥ͑ͨ͒̃̾͊ͩ͂̕͏͇̤͇͕̊̀ͩ̃.̶͇̺̖̭̮̤͙̾̾͒͑̓ͨ͐̎̏̌͛̓ͫͥ̐̇͒̀͘͜͡͝͡
It was the look of someone who knew exactly how annoying he could be. Someone who´d argued with him, fought beside him, worried about him, and maybe even has fallen asleep against his shoulder when neither of them wanted to admit they needed comfort.
I͝͏̸̴̡̙̱̺̰̯͖̱̮̝̣̖͐ͭͨ̑͋͗̋̊͒̅ͮ͆͌͟͠ m̨̞̰̪̼̺͖̙̳͈̘̼̱͌̑̈̋̽̊͂͐̏̏̏̄̏̅̕͠͡ͅi̵̡̢̛̘͓̤̠̺̥͕̘ͬ̃̅̓̈́͐ͬ̔̓͛̍ͤ̓̅̃̕̕͜͟sͣ͏̶̧̡̡̮̩͚͓͍̖̜͙̺͆̓̓̐ͯ͛ͧ̏͂͂ͧ̍̚͝͡͠s̶̡̡̡͓͍̖̜͙̺̤͔̻̖͙̓̐ͯ͛ͧ̏͂͂ͧ̍ͫ̋̚͠͡͞e̴̡̠̜̻̟̜̥̱̼͎̎ͫ̓̑͂ͦ̊͆̒ͬ̋̅̃ͥ̋ͤͮ́͢͢d̵̡̨̠͙̭̳̟̮̗̼̻̮̤͙̍̎̄ͤ͗̒̓͊̽̀͗ͭ̅́͜͞ y̵̨̭̱̎̃̈́̌ͭ̐͜͏̘͙̞͇̜͕̯̖̒ͪ͌͒ͦͣ̌̕̕͟ͅơ̶͖̦̲̠̠̭͖͚͙͔̦̳͍̟͒ͩͬͥ͊̽͆̑ͧ͑̿̿̕͘͡ų̭͍̼͎̘̩̫͚̝ͬͣ̇ͨ̀̍͒ͩ̔ͯ̃̃̓ͤͯ͘͟͜͝ͅͅ.̷̸̛̥͔̥̺̟̠̩̱̫̻̠̘ͯ̍̅̌ͤ́ͧ̽͊̏̅̚̕̚͝͝
Ren blinked.
Kiana was Kiana again.
She was staring at him.
"...What?"
Ren realized he'd forgotten how to breathe.
A sound rolled across Nagazora then, vast and low and the ground trembled beneath their feet. Far away, beyond the cluster of buildings, violet lightning clawed upward from somewhere near Chiba Academy rather than down from the clouds. The sky seemed to pulse, and Ren felt each one through his bones.
Kiana turned toward it instantly.
"Mei," she whispered.
Ren's blood chilled.
Of course, it was happening now. Of course he hadn't arrived before the story began, with time to get ready.
Kiana started running, and Ren barely managed to grab her by her sleeves.
She spun back, startled. "What?"
"You can't just charge straight in."
"My friend is there!"
"I know, but-"
"Then I'm going!"
Her words were simple and certain. Kiana was a girl who´d already made up her mind and was just following her heart.
Ren's grip loosened.
How he envied that certainty.
"I'm not saying…don't go," he said. "I'm only saying there are zombies everywhere, and the closer we get to that light, the worse it'll probably be. We need…side streets. Cover, and at least something better than a bat and an umbrella."
Kiana glanced at the umbrella in his hand. The cartoon cat handle stared back with painted cheer.
"Your weapon is terrible," she said.
"I noticed."
"Can you actually fight?"
Ren thought of the lock opening under his glowing palm. He thought of suspended raindrops.
"...No," he said.
Kiana studied him for a moment. Rain traced her cheek, almost like tears. Her impatience warred with something surprisingly careful.
"Then stay close," she said. "If something jumps us, duck. If I say run, you run. If you see Mei before I do, point. If you die, I'll be mad."
"How motivating."
"I'm great at speeches."
They marched.
Kiana moved quickly through the narrow streets, confident in a way that could only come from getting lost so often that you stop caring. Ren hurried after her, holding the umbrella and trying to keep up. More than once, Kiana had to slow down for him. She grumbled each time, but she never left him behind. When zombies showed up, she fought them fast and hard, going for their joints and heads. Ren picked up tricks too- shoving shelves, kicking trash cans, and once jabbing the umbrella at a zombie's face so Kiana could finish it off.
The city only got worse as they approached Chiba Academy.
Cars were left behind in odd places. Some had bumped into each other, like their drivers all passed out at the same time. Purple crystals stuck out of the pavement, see-through and glowing softly. Zombies moved in groups, all heading toward the same far-off lightning. Some of them still wore school uniforms. Ren avoided looking at their faces.
A schoolgirl zombie with a pink phone charm still hanging from her bag turned toward them near a bus stop.
Ren stopped so abruptly that Kiana bumped into him.
"What are you doing?" she hissed.
"She's-"
"Not anymore."
Kiana spoke firmly, but not harshly. Ren noticed the tightness around her mouth. She hated this as much as he did. She was just better at pushing through it.
The zombie lurched.
Kiana stepped forward, then paused as another figure dropped from above.
A girl landed on the roof of the bus shelter with mechanical grace, crouched low beneath a heavy weapon system that hovered behind her like a sleeping beast. Silver-gray hair framed a small, expressionless face. Her eyes scanned the street with machine precision.
Bronya Zaychik.
Ren's breath caught.
Bronya looked from Kiana to Ren.
For a moment, her gaze lingered on him too long.
A faint mechanical chime sounded from the equipment behind her. Project Bunny's sensors glowed. Bronya's pupils narrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Kiana Kaslana located," she said, voice flat. "Unknown male survivor detected."
Ren hated how that word struck him.
Male.
It shouldn't have mattered, but it always did. The word stuck to him, like hot iron leaving an unremovable brand. Even with monsters, lightning, and chaos all around, his stomach still turned at being seen that way.
Kiana pointed the bat upward. "Hey! You silver-haired pipsqueak with the giant robot- are you a friend or an enemy?"
Bronya blinked slowly. "The Bronya is not a pipsqueak. The Bronya is also not obligated to answer a loud stranger."
"That probably means no help from her," Ren muttered.
Bronya's eyes shifted back to him.
"Unknown survivor displays abnormal Honkai resistance," she said. "Readings are inconsistent."
Kiana stepped slightly in front of Ren. "Quit scanning him, pipsqueak."
"The Bronya's sensors indicate-"
"Don't care! We're finding Mei, so either help us or get out of the way."
Bronya remained still, rain gathering on her hair and shoulders. Behind her, Project Bunny's armature unfolded a fraction.
Ren could take an educated guess at what might happen next. Bronya was here for Mei, following Cocolia's orders, and Kiana would fight her if she had to. If Mei woke up, it would pull them all into trouble. Time was running out.
Then the world pulsed.
A warm pressure unfurled from his chest with no warning. The purple crystals along the street dimmed at the same time Bronya's sensors let out a sharp alarm.
Ren clutched at his chest.
For a moment, yet another vision was superimposed over Bronya. A child in the snow, a girl with numb eyes sitting in a lab while adults talked about what losses were acceptable. Then another scene surfaced, even stranger: kids in white uniforms under a pale moon, glowing chains at their temples, and a pink-haired woman smashing the observation glass with her bare hand as alarms blared.
Ren's lips moved before thought caught up.
"Don't let them turn you into a weapon twice."
Bronya's expression changed.
Not by much, just a fraction of widened eyes, a minute delay in her next breath.
Kiana looked over her shoulder. "Ren?"
Ren staggered.
The glow vanished once more.
Bronya's sensors continued screaming for two more seconds before cutting abruptly to silence.
"The Bronya requires clarification,"
"I don't know," Ren whispered.
Bronya stared at him as if he were a locked file with the wrong password and requiring impossible clearances.
Lightning exploded several blocks away.
This time the blast shattered windows. A wave of pressure slammed through the street, throwing rain sideways. Kiana grabbed Ren by the hoodie and yanked him down as glass sprayed from a nearby building. Bronya remained balanced atop the bus shelter, Project Bunny shielding her with one armored limb.
When the ringing in Ren's ears faded, a voice drifted through the rain.
It was distant, layered, and heartbreakingly familiar.
"Kiana…"
Kiana's face went pale.
"Mei!"
She bolted.
Ren chased after her, because what else was he supposed to do? Kiana had saved him and Mei was at the heart of everything. Bronya was watching. His hands had glowed, and his chest still buzzed with something he couldn't explain. He didn´t understand what drove him to it. Why it felt so, so, so important that followed her. All that he knew was that he couldn´t let tragedy tear everything apart again.
They turned onto a broad avenue leading toward the school district.
Chiba Academy stood behind the gates, its windows dark except for violet light on the upper floors. The air reeked of the metallic taste of blood. The Honkai energy felt so heavy that every breath hurt. Zombies crowded near the edge of the campus, many of them standing still, as if they were worshipping something.
At the center of the courtyard, suspended above cracked pavement, was Raiden Mei.
Her long dark hair floated in the storm. Purple lightning wrapped around her arms and legs. Her school uniform whipped in the wind, sleeves torn, and a glowing mark burned above her. Her eyes were open but far away, filled with violet light.
Kiana stopped at the gate.
"Mei…"
Ren stopped beside her, lungs heaving.
He had expected the terror. He expected the oppressive force of the Herrscher of Thunder, the violent birth of a will shaped by despair and Honkai. He felt those things, yes, pressing against his skin like needles.
But beneath them, something else stirred.
Familiarity.
This scene felt achingly familiar.
Mei's glowing eyes shifted.
Across the courtyard, through rain and lightning and the rising scream of the Third Eruption, the Herrscher awakening inside Raiden Mei looked directly at Ren.
Ren's reflection shimmered in the broken glass of the school gate.
For half a second, he saw his own face.
It was still mostly his own face- tired eyes, wet black hair stuck to his forehead, jaw clenched, fear in every line. But now, the rainwater running from his hair showed a hint of pink that definitely hadn't been there before. In the broken glass, his eyes flashed a color that wasn't his.
Blue-pink.
The lightning fell.