Anna left the very day she received her assignment, unwilling to stay at the headquarters for even one extra day.
She packed her own luggage, a very small bag, walked to the tarmac alone, and boarded a very small shuttle.
Alone, a solitary figure, silent...
She wasn't cold; she would smile and nod at everyone she met on the way.
But she wasn't warm either. After a simple smile and nod, she wouldn't engage in any small talk, just say, "It's getting late," and hurry away.
"What's wrong with her?"
The clueless Valkyries looked at each other, confused.
"Is that the Anna I know? She seems like a completely different person."
"That polite yet distant look... where did the lively and flamboyant girl go?"
"Shh! Don't talk nonsense!"
Alvitr, who was nearby, overheard their discussion. She glanced around nervously, then came over and whispered mysteriously, "From what I've heard, Anna has been involved in several particularly important missions recently. They say her contributions are enough to promote her to S-rank Valkyrie!"
"Huh?"
The "audience" around her gasped in amazement. Outsiders might not know what an S-rank Valkyrie represented, but how could they, as Valkyries, not know?
"Really?"
"That amazing?"
"Then why is she leaving?"
If anyone else had said this, they might have been skeptical. But Alvitr was known throughout Schicksal as a "know-it-all." Not only was she skilled in many things, a standard "jack-of-all-trades," but her information was also exceptionally reliable!
That made it very convincing!
"That's where the problem is," Alvitr said with a curious expression.
"Apparently, Anna refused all the commendations and asked to return to her original squad. That's why she's being so low-key."
"Huh?"
Another gasp.
"Really?"
"Why?"
The "audience" was confused again. Everyone was trying their best to get into the headquarters to get more and better opportunities. Why was she so different?
"Is she having one of her rich-girl tantrums again?"
"Any more details, even I don't know..."
Alvitr scratched her head. She was curious, yes, but she also knew her limits, what she should and shouldn't hear.
"Maybe she has something very important there?" she guessed thoughtfully, then couldn't help but think of the past, murmuring, "Or maybe she lost someone very important..."
Anna didn't know about the discussions behind her back, and even if she did, she wouldn't know how to explain.
She just walked on alone, neither hurried nor looking back. She greeted everyone she met along the way and then continued to walk silently toward her future, her destination.
At the end of her walk, on the tarmac, a blonde girl stood waiting for her not far away. Her long, wavy golden hair was blown high by the engine's airflow, like real waves, dazzlingly golden in the sunlight.
Anna's expression remained unchanged. She didn't pause for a moment because of the golden light radiating from the girl. She just smiled and nodded, as she had to everyone she had met on the way, and then walked past her calmly.
As if she, too, were just an insignificant passerby.
"Anna."
Just as they were about to pass each other, Durandal finally spoke.
Anna stopped, turned her head, and asked with a smile, "Is there anything else, Captain Durandal?"
Her tone sounded like a Valkyrie squad member speaking to the captain of another squad on official business—polite, distant, business-like.
If anyone who knew them both saw this, they would be very surprised.
Because not long ago, one of them had always looked up to the other as her role model, envying her, striving to be like her.
And now, they were like strangers.
"Nothing special, just..."
Durandal shook her head, thought for a moment, then gave a genuine smile.
"Have a safe trip, Anna."
She had come to see her off.
"Mm."
Anna nodded, turned, and boarded her shuttle.
The engine roared to life a few seconds later, then took off, leaving everything and everyone behind, without a single look back...
"..."
Durandal looked up, watching for a long time, unmoving, as straight as a pine tree.
A few minutes later, the disturbed wind stopped, and the usually bustling spaceport seemed to quiet down.
At some point, Rita had silently appeared behind her, carefully blocking the last wisp of unromantic airflow, and thus revealing her presence.
Or rather, she had never intended to hide from Durandal.
"You don't have to hide in the shadows, Rita," Durandal said, turning her head slightly, not by much.
"She won't be as hostile to you or me as she was before."
Her tone was calm, as composed as ever. But Rita could still hear a hint of indescribable melancholy in her voice.
She was not made of iron or stone, just a warrior strong and determined enough. But that didn't mean she lacked the seven emotions and six desires, the joys and sorrows that all humans possess...
"I know," Rita said.
"I just find it regrettable that things have come to this..."
She had also come to see her off, just hidden in the shadows, like an unnoticeable silhouette.
"There's nothing to regret."
Durandal's tone was as calm and firm as ever.
"This is her choice. We should respect it."
"...It's precisely because of that that it's so sad," Rita said with a bitter smile.
"More than four months ago, when she first left the headquarters from this spaceport, she was just an innocent, naive, and simple girl. But now..."
Under Durandal's radiant presence, she showed a rare hint of vulnerability, her tone tinged with a hint of fear.
"It's too fast. Even if this is what's called 'growth,' it shouldn't be this fast."
As the most direct catalyst for this result, as the most complete "participant" in the whole process, her feelings were deeper than anyone else's.
In fact, the pressure she herself bore was also greater than anyone else's.
"Do you regret it, Rita?"
Durandal turned to look at her good partner.
"I know, you know, it's not your fault. From beginning to end, you were just doing what you were supposed to do."
"It's not regret, just a bit of sadness," Rita said, masking her slight loss of composure with a sigh.
"We should have been comrades, comrades-in-arms. But now..."
At this point, Rita finally came to her senses and said with shame, "I'm sorry, I lost my composure..."
"It's alright, the Overseer isn't here," Durandal said with a reassuring smile. She turned back to look at the small dot that had completely disappeared on the horizon.
"I understand how you feel. To become strangers with former comrades, to face those who should have been comrades as enemies, it's indeed a sad thing."
How could she not understand the sadness in Rita's heart?
"Twice in Manila in the past—the first time, before the Honkai Eruption. A simple support mission, just like most of the time, cooperating with the Overseer to realize his plan," Durandal said, her expression as calm and serious as ever even when recalling the past.
"Then, I met a guy who came out of nowhere to mess things up, tricked me with a few words, and completely foiled the Overseer's efforts that time."
"Ah, I remember," Rita smiled.
"That time, it seems it was because of the Overseer's active 'cooperation' that that guy was able to get so close to Lady Durandal, right?"
Although she wasn't there, she kept in daily contact with Durandal. It wasn't hard to piece together a rough picture from various sources afterward.
"...Yes," Durandal also looked helpless. The great Overseer of Schicksal had been taken advantage of, kept in the dark. No one would believe it if you told them.
"The second time, after the Honkai Eruption. A simple containment mission for the Overseer, bringing someone he captured back to headquarters. And this time..."
She paused before saying the last two words, "'Everything went smoothly.'"
"It could have been that smooth," Rita said.
"In fact, it should have been that smooth..."
"Yes, you're right," Durandal said, looking up at the sky.
"The first time I met him, he was just a despicable villain full of schemes and skilled at acting. If he had used that despicableness the second time we met, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did..."
She still remembered Lin Wei's simple and honest appearance back then, and Anna, equally naive, who had still drawn her blade against her with her last breath...
"Originally, I understood why he did what he did. But I didn't understand why a person's character could change so drastically, from a weak and despicable villain to a hero who was about to burn himself out completely. That day, if I had been a step later, both he and Anna would have been torn apart by the Honkai's claws..."
"You saved them," Rita said.
"Yes, I know. But it's precisely because of that that it's so hard to understand, why a person can be both despicable and selfless."
Durandal said, "After that battle, I finally understood—actually, he had foreseen this day from the very beginning, which is why he tried so hard to avoid this future."
"..."
Rita was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, if he were really a villain, he could have easily tricked you and the Overseer when you first met. With that alone, and the Key of Corrosion in his hands, killing the defenseless Overseer would probably have been no harder than flipping his palm. After all..."
She sighed softly, "In yesterday's battle, he almost did it too, if it weren't for Anna..."
"At that time, Anna couldn't stop him," Durandal said.
"At the last moment, he gave up himself, handing over the victory that was within his grasp."
She was a top-tier warrior, it was impossible for her not to understand this.
And the equally excellent Rita naturally understood this fact as well—and this was precisely the real reason for her sadness...
"He has such dazzling courage and talent, and such admirable restraint and sacrifice. We should have been comrades-in-arms—just like on the battlefield in Manila..."
Rita's eyes held a deep, profound pain.
"Even after things came to this, she still chose to fulfill our wishes, allowing Schicksal, which could have been completely overthrown, to remain as it was, to continue to perform the duties it was supposed to."
This tragic world needed heroes, but it needed leaders even more—so they had always rallied under the banner of Schicksal, protecting the Overseer's safety, carrying out Otto's will...
But Lin Wei's abandonment at the last moment also invisibly proved one thing: he seemed to also possess the qualities of a "leader."
After all, his abandonment had put himself in the most dangerous situation, but it had also, in fact, avoided a huge upheaval, preserving Schicksal's and humanity's strength to the greatest extent possible.
And this, naturally, made them even more regretful—because they had personally cast him into the abyss...
"He was always very restrained, but he never stopped talking about the Overseer. Their conflict must be truly irreconcilable," Durandal shook her head, casting off all the regrets in her heart.
"So although it's regrettable, the current result is probably the best we could have hoped for. Otherwise, who knows how much more of our energy would have been consumed in the future..."
Lin Wei's departure had put everything back on its original track, which was naturally the best result.
And this "best result" was handed to them by Lin Wei himself, which was a huge irony.
"So, it's regrettable..." Rita said with a cough.
"I can't help but wonder, back in Singapore, if I had been a little more restrained with my curiosity, would the result have been different?"
That was her first meeting with Lin Wei, a standard "friends after a fight" situation.
"Perhaps, but there are no 'ifs' in life," Durandal shook her head.
"Experience shapes perception. If it weren't for this series of events, how would we see things now? To blame the initial cause for the current result is somewhat overly critical."
She had always been a very wise person, wise beyond her years.
It was just that she was bold in action, reserved in speech, and had no interest in anything other than her own goals (except cats), which made her reactions to some unimportant things often a beat slow, so she seemed a bit dorky.
But if anyone dared to debate with her...
With her unique insight that easily pinpointed the heart of the matter and her consistently precise language, she could easily refute you into silence.
Did you really think the number one Valkyrie of Schicksal was all brawn and no brains?
She hadn't neglected any of her developed areas!
"Rita, she's so good at acting, aren't you like her?"
After clearly expressing her point of view, Durandal's mood suddenly lightened, and she smiled.
"Do you really think that guy won't come back?"
"Maybe I've been around too many disgusting things, and I've been influenced a little..." Rita smiled lightly.
"Even if he does come back, I'm afraid I'll still have to continue playing the most annoying role, right?"
As Overseer Otto's "black glove," she could only continue to perform her duties, to be a villain whose hands were stained with blood.
"..."
Durandal looked into Rita's eyes and sighed after a moment.
"You've worked hard, Rita."
How could she not know of Rita's hardships and helplessness?
The reason she could be so relaxed, so carefree, so focused, was it not because the dark things were blocked by the girl behind her?
"When he comes back... ah."
Speaking of such future prospects, the somewhat heavy atmosphere between them suddenly lightened. Durandal suddenly remembered something and smiled.
"Speaking of which, that guy has always been so mysterious. Not only does he have more than one Divine Key, but he can also train such a powerful ELF. Do you think he might have a connection to that World Serpent that the Overseer is wary of?"
How could a lone renegade have such things?
"If that's really the case, then things would actually be simpler. At worst, another powerful organization hostile to Schicksal has appeared," Rita smiled.
"Since our positions are clear, there naturally won't be so many regrets and unwillingness. Yesterday's battle could then be considered as eliminating a powerful enemy, right?"
"Hahaha, is that so?"
Speaking of such half-joking, half-serious matters, Durandal couldn't help but laugh.
"If that's really the case, that would be the real regret!"
"Actually, from my perspective, he probably does have some connection to World Serpent, but whether he is a member of that mysterious organization is uncertain. After all, his first encounter with Anna was to destroy one of their underground lairs. Besides..."
Rita searched her memory and said seriously, "The Honkai Eruption in Manila seems to have another story. Sir Lin's disgust and even hatred for World Serpent at that time was not feigned."
"...Is that so? So the Honkai Eruption in Manila was also a man-made disaster. In that case, World Serpent is also an extremely dangerous terrorist organization," Durandal paused, then smiled.
"In that case, the guy we know is probably cleared of this suspicion. By the way, has this been reported to the Overseer?"
"Not to mention going back to headquarters, the Overseer has known about this for a long time," Rita said.
"Although emotionally he doesn't want to believe it, he can't completely rule out this suspicion. The Overseer's foresight is great. He will continue to increase the investigation into this mysterious organization to prevent similar evil acts from happening again."
"I see, understood."
Durandal naturally supported such an order.
"At worst, the next time I see him, I'll ask him about these things all at once."
Her tone was completely casual, not at all like someone who had just gone through a major emotional experience.
"And by the way, I'll ask him if he can lend me that ELF puppet again for a few days," Durandal said with a smile, having gotten a taste for it.
"It's been a long time since I've found such a satisfying training partner. I'm a little reluctant to part with it."
"...Lady Durandal, your injuries from yesterday haven't healed yet," Rita said softly.
"In all the battles yesterday, it was the first time I've seen you so excited..."
One could only say that wielding great power without being able to use it to its fullest had probably broken her a little.
"Haha, it was a bit inappropriate..." Durandal said with an embarrassed laugh.
"A satisfying battle is intoxicating, but compared to that, I'd rather it always be like the past, with no need to use it. At least that proves the world's fate is still stable."
She had always had a great sense of the big picture, mature beyond her teenage years. She thought for a moment, then turned to leave.
"Let's go, let's find the Overseer."
"Is there something else you want to ask the Overseer, Lady Durandal?"
Rita followed slowly.
She knew that if Durandal said this, it definitely wasn't about the ELF and the training partner.
"Yes. In any case, it's over. I want to ask him, after paying such a heavy price for so long, can the experiment that has been in preparation for so long finally officially begin?" Durandal said.
"Also, Rita. Find some time, and accompany me to St. Freya Academy..."
"Huh?"
Rita was surprised that Durandal would suddenly say this.
"Didn't you always dislike that place?"
She remembered that the Overseer had arranged for Durandal to go there once, but she had run away almost the same day.
"Yes, the atmosphere is too lax. Just being there for a while makes one anxious..."
Remembering the past, Durandal also looked helpless.
"But it's precisely because of that that I feel it's even more necessary to go and take a look."
Durandal stopped, hesitated for a moment, then said, "After what happened with Anna, I suddenly realized a problem—Kiana, or rather, K-423. She is indeed the experimental subject for the Herrscher of the Void's power in the Overseer's plan. But if we don't want her to become like Anna in the future, strangers to us, then we probably shouldn't treat her as an outsider from the very beginning."
She said calmly, "Actually, as long as the plan succeeds, then whether her identity is a Herrscher or a Valkyrie, she will be a warrior fighting for the future of humanity. Then she should naturally be our comrade. In that case..."
Durandal smiled even when reminiscing.
"Although the Overseer's arrangements are always wise and convincing, what's wrong with giving her some more guidance from her seniors on top of that?"
"Lady Durandal..."
After listening to Durandal's narrative, Rita suddenly spoke.
"You're actually very sad about Anna's departure, aren't you?"
"Or rather, it's Sir Lin's departure that makes you so sad..."
She had known her for so long. How could she not understand what Durandal was really thinking?
Just as Durandal was trying to comfort her, now it was her turn to comfort the other.
"..."
Durandal, her thoughts exposed, admitted frankly, "Yes, you're right. I don't want to see this happen a second time."
Her sense of justice had always been strong.
Out of practical necessity, she could compromise for the greater good, but that didn't mean she would turn a blind eye to it all.
At the same time, she didn't need to compromise. She would turn all her feelings into the motivation to move forward.
"Let's go, let's communicate this idea to the Overseer. A junior with enough potential, it's always right to care a little more."
"..."
Rita looked at her back silently and sighed without a word.
Lady Durandal, you don't seem to have noticed—even you yourself have unknowingly started to feel uneasy about the Overseer...