"Ah!"
Mei suddenly shot up from the ground. A gentle breeze stirred her hair as she turned her head, her gaze somewhat vacant as she took in the half-crumbled rubble and ruins surrounding her. For a long time 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 Mei let out a long, slow breath. Her heavy eyelids snapped open as memories 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 times, then, as if suddenly remembering something, 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 Mei. 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, something 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 someone missing?
"Mei-neesan, how's Kiana?"
But her worries were unfounded. Just as Bronya's first instinct upon collecting her thoughts was to search for Seele, Mei had already found Kiana lying beside her as soon as she'd come to her senses.
Hearing Bronya's question, Mei 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 something Kiana would do.
Bronya and Mei exchanged a look, both of them letting out a small sigh of relief.
Though they still didn't understand what had happened, it seemed they weren't in any immediate danger. Seele was merely unconscious, and Kiana was just asleep.
But their expressions quickly shifted from relieved to confused…
Bronya blinked.
"Mei-neesan… weren't we in the middle of a mission?"
Mei 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 fragments of their memory began to return. The teal-haired girl in the wheelchair asked softly, her head lowered and her shoulders hunched.
Mei and Bronya glanced at each other. Mei 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 mean…"
"Mhm. A Valkyrie squad came 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, Mei 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 met them, weren't they?"
The teal-haired girl's eyes flickered, and she nodded with some 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 moment she had been inexplicably dragged into that illusion until now, her mind had been in a dizzying fog. But with each passing moment, 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 meeting 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 Mei 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 meticulously over the girl's gown and wheelchair, finding nothing that could prove her identity.
However, she did notice something unexpected. The moment she mentioned "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 meet you, Miss Wendy. This is B-rank Valkyrie Mei, 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, Himeko's urgent voice came through their earpieces.
"Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Seele, what's your status?"
Bronya took the opportunity to step back, giving Mei a subtle hand signal before responding to Himeko.
"Bronya and Mei-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 extreme density of Honkai energy. Looks like we need to get that new quantum communication tech implemented ASAP, heh."
Bronya wasn't sure if Himeko 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 seemed to sense her gaze and looked up, their eyes meeting.
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 Himeko.
"Major Himeko, reporting. We've found a survivor from the Oceania Branch. She claims to be an A-rank Valkyrie named 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 name sounds familiar… Theresa, come take a look. Does this kid ring a bell?"
Bronya pursed her lips, though she wasn't surprised by Himeko'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 mention, in the academy's early years, Himeko had traveled all over Schicksal to recruit students, often meeting privately with exceptionally talented Valkyries. It was probably normal for her to find the name Wendy familiar.
Just as she was thinking this, Theresa's voice came 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 immense talent. For a time, she was considered the most promising candidate to become Schicksal's third S-rank Valkyrie of this generation."
"The third S-rank Valkyrie?"
Bronya looked at Wendy in astonishment. 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 name?"
Himeko 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 time, A-ranks were the absolute elite. If something 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. Himeko, do you remember what Grandpa Otto and Rita said before?"
"What… No way. You mean, 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 immense 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 experiment 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 same kind of thing? Does Wendy's body also have…"
Mei, who had been silent all this time, 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 fundamentally the same. They are both Herrscher Cores."
"So, that means there's a Herrscher's consciousness inside Wendy's body too, right?" Mei 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 me. 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" meant her hearing was sharp enough to clearly make out their conversation over the comms.
"Wendy…"
Mei clenched her fists, her expression pained. She bit her lower lip and forced a gentle smile.
"It's alright, Wendy. Come back with us. Come to the Far East Branch. We'll find a way to help you."
"Help… me? Heh, help me?"
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 me now."
Wendy's words made Mei's smile freeze on her face.
"Mei."
Theresa's voice came through the comms again, turned down to the lowest volume.
"Mei, 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 Mei.
One was the princess of ME 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, Mei 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 some unknown technology. It felt no different from flesh and blood, moved with a single thought, and would even bleed if injured in battle. She sometimes wondered if it was really a prosthetic at all…
Wait, that's it!
Mei suddenly held her right hand out in front of Wendy.
"Wendy, my name is Raiden Mei. I was the one chosen to become the Herrscher of Thunder during the Nagazora Eruption two years ago."
Wendy lowered her head to meet her gaze, her expression unchanged. It made sense. Mei had already mentioned the Gem of Conquest and Herrschers during their call with Himeko 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 some reason, her right hand moved on its own, rising to take Mei'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 me, 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 moment, her body went slack. She leaned back against her chair, looking up at the sky, and said no more.
Seeing her chance, Mei 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 me! I'm a Herrscher, too. My name is Raiden Mei. 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 me!"
"The Far East Branch…" Wendy murmured, and then, a flicker of light appeared in her eyes. "The Far East Branch… No, I remember now. You're from… St. Freya Academy, right?"
"Yes. I'm surprised you know the academy's name."
"Heh…"
A pained laugh escaped Wendy's lips.
"Actually… right after I became a Valkyrie, Himeko came to the Oceania Branch for a presentation. I hesitated for a long time, 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!" Mei 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. Mei didn't rush her, simply waiting quietly.
"Okay."
Wendy agreed.
A genuine smile blossomed on Mei's face.
"Ahem. It's wonderful that Miss Wendy is willing to trust us, but… Mei-neesan, Principal, Major Himeko, there's something… I don't know if this is the right time 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?"