The snow fell in lazy spirals outside, painting the courtyard in white. From the tall windows of the library-turned-office, Kiana could see the flurries dusting the flowers and grass that never wilted, the surreal sight still making her stomach twist.
Inside, the warmth of the fireplace wrapped around her like a blanket. Not that it stopped her from pressing herself against Kallen's side, burying her face in the older woman's shoulder.
"It's too early…" Kiana mumbled, her voice muffled.
Beside them, Chris crossed his arms, a deep scowl on his face. "I'm missing my patrol schedule for this. Otto better have a good reason."
"You mean other than waking us all up before sunrise?" Kiana muttered, peeking at him with a pout.
Chris snorted. "Exactly."
Before either of them could continue their mild grumbling, the heavy doors creaked open. The sound cut through the cozy atmosphere like a blade. Otto walked in, his steps measured, his expression utterly devoid of humor.
The air changed. Even Chris straightened.
"I see you're all in a lively mood," Otto said, voice dripping with dry disapproval. "Unfortunately for you, I called you here for something far more important than your beauty sleep or… whatever else you were wasting time on."
Kiana straightened, reluctantly pulling away from Kallen.
Otto didn't waste another moment. He moved to the center of the room, speaking as if reciting a carefully prepared speech.
"This past year," he began, "has been rough. There were incidents—whispers of rebellion, shortages in the border towns, escalating conflicts between settlements." His gaze flicked between Chris and Kallen. "You've both seen it. You've both been involved in cleaning up the mess."
Kallen folded her arms but offered a calm smile. "It's been bad, yes… but everything ended up okay in the end."
Chris gave a curt nod. "Agreed."
Otto's frown deepened. "Kallen… while I admire your optimism, I cannot say the same for the shortcomings of our so-called leader."
Chris's jaw clenched. "Careful, Otto."
But Otto ignored the warning, stepping forward as his tone sharpened. "The problems arose because this so-called utopia is built on sand. Too perfect for its own good, lacking the healthy challenges that make people grow. It is a haven, yes—but a haven that robs its people of their freedom, of their ability to shape their own lives. And worst of all…" He gestured toward Chris, his voice dripping with disdain. "It is stuck in the past. A crude past."
Kiana glanced at Chris, watching the man's massive hands curl into fists.
"And you, Christopher," Otto continued, "refuse to acknowledge it. You refuse to change. You would rather smother progress for the sake of control."
Chris took a step forward, his voice rumbling like distant thunder. "And what would you have me do, Otto? Tear apart everything that works because you think you can make it better?"
Otto's lips curled into a thin smile. "I would have you adapt."
"And if I refuse?"
Otto's eyes glinted. "Then I act without you."
He moved to a large object in the corner of the room, hidden beneath a heavy cloth. With a sharp tug, the fabric fell away, revealing sleek, silver curves—metal panels glowing faintly with blue light, etched with lines that looked nothing like anything Kiana had ever seen in this place.
Her eyes widened, mouth parting in awe. "Whoa…"
Chris's reaction was the opposite. His face contorted in rage as he bellowed, "NO!" The sound made the windows rattle. He surged forward, his massive frame moving like a predator about to crush its prey.
Otto didn't flinch. His hand darted to a control panel on the machine, pressing a single button.
A low hum filled the room, resonating in the floorboards, making the hair on Kiana's arms stand on end. Strange lights ran along the machine's surface, patterns shifting like water.
Chris stopped mid-stride, his expression darkening even further. "Otto… what have you done?"
Otto smiled faintly, almost like a man unveiling a masterpiece. "Something this city should have had a long time ago."
Kiana swallowed, her heart pounding. Whatever it was, she could feel it wasn't just a machine.
It was a change.
And from the way Chris's eyes burned, she wasn't sure if the city—or anyone in it—was ready for what came next.
-
Outside the simulation, the sterile observation chamber echoed with a sound that made everyone's skin crawl—Mobius's laughter. It wasn't just laughter—it was the kind that clawed at the edges of your mind, sharp and mocking, as though the world's ugliest secret had just been laid bare.
Otto's jaw tightened. His teeth ground together, and then he bit down so hard on his lip that the metallic tang of blood flooded his mouth. He didn't flinch.
Mobius leaned forward in her chair, her emerald eyes glinting like a predator that had cornered prey.
"So you… were the reason that caused the last eruption of the previous era??" Her voice dripped with disbelief, but her cackle afterward showed she was enjoying every ounce of this revelation. "Oh, this is rich… all those lives… all that 'noble sacrifice'—and it was you, Otto. Delicious."
Eden, who had been silent for most of the monitoring session, finally spoke—her voice calm, but laced with something heavier. "Mobius…" She turned her gaze toward Otto, her golden eyes softening—not in forgiveness, but in understanding of the weight he carried. She had seen men destroy themselves under burdens far lighter. "…I see."
Otto didn't meet her eyes. He kept his gaze locked on the simulation feed.
Mei, meanwhile, frowned and glanced between them, clearly not content with this cryptic exchange. "What do you mean, Mobius? What exactly are you saying?"
Mobius grinned, as if she had been waiting for the question. "See, the Honkai follows… let's call it a schedule," she began, her tone suddenly instructive, though the smugness never left her voice. "It has strict rules. An eruption will only happen if one of two conditions are met."
She held up a single manicured finger. "One… if the people of a world achieve harmony with one another. True, lasting harmony. A unity so complete that the Honkai knows its natural enemy has arrived. You could say… the human spirit becomes a weapon just by existing."
Her smirk widened as she lifted a second finger, her gaze flicking toward Otto like a dagger. "Or two…"
Otto's hands clenched into fists. His lips pressed into a hard, blood-smeared line. For a moment, it seemed he wouldn't answer. Then, with visible reluctance, his voice came low and bitter. "…If the technology of that era becomes… too advanced."
The room fell silent for half a heartbeat.
Mei's eyes widened. "So you—"
But before she could finish, the simulation feed flared with sudden, violent light. A brilliant wave of purple energy erupted across the screen, engulfing the simulated city in a matter of seconds.
The hum of the machine inside the sim—Otto's machine—was drowned out by the crackling roar of Honkai energy tearing through reality itself.
In the simulation, clouds twisted violently, the sky breaking into fractured shards of color. The snow melted in an instant, replaced by blistering winds and crackling arcs of violet lightning. Entire blocks of the city began to quake, chunks of stone and earth lifting into the air as if gravity itself had been undone.
. "…It's starting."