Nagazora City – Evening
The scent of wine lingered in the air, but Himeko hadn't taken a single sip. She sat in an elegant restaurant across from a nervous Schicksal technician who had been talking about resonance circuitry and artificial Valkyrie AI for the past twenty minutes. Her crimson hair was loosely tied back, and her jacket draped over the seat behind her. But her eyes weren't focused on him. They rarely were.
Her phone vibrated once in her coat pocket. She didn't excuse herself — she didn't need to.
Sliding the device out with a swift hand, her eyes narrowed at the red screen alert:
HERRSCHER ENERGY DETECTED – CLASS-B SIGNATURE — NAGAZORA SECTOR. CHIBA ACADEMY.
"Excuse me," Himeko said, her voice low. She stood up, knocking her chair back. "Emergency."
Her date blinked. "Wait, you're—?"
A woman in civilian clothes seated nearby calmly stood up, approached the table, and drove her elbow cleanly into the man's temple. He slumped over the table unconscious.
"Prep is complete," the subordinate said, offering Himeko her coat.
Himeko grabbed it, sliding it over her shoulders as she strode to the exit. "Deploy the Hyperion. Get me to Nagazora airspace in ten minutes."
The woman nodded once, then followed.
Above them, thunder growled like a distant animal.
---
Chiba Academy – Quarantine Building
The air was electric.
Aiden Yukishiro stood near a window in the upper hall of the facility. His body was motionless, but his senses were flaring.
His Six Eyes, hidden beneath his tinted lenses, had detected something vile. A surge of Herrscher energy — different from Mei's. Rough, unstable, chaotic.
"This isn't her," he whispered.
Kiana stood a few feet behind him, arms crossed. "You feel that too?"
He gave a nod. "Someone else is coming. Another Herrscher — or worse."
"Fantastic," Kiana muttered. "One wasn't enough?"
Aiden turned quickly. "We're leaving. Now."
Kiana blinked. "Wait—what?"
He moved to Mei's cot. She stirred as his hand touched her shoulder.
"Aiden?" she murmured. Her voice was soft, eyes groggy.
"No time to explain. We have to go. Someone else is coming, and if we're caught here, we're sitting ducks."
Mei sat up slowly, catching the urgency in his voice. "Alright."
"No argument?" he asked, a bit surprised.
She looked him in the eyes. "I trust you."
His chest tightened at that, but he said nothing. He turned to lead the way.
---
Back Corridors – Emergency Route
Aiden's every step was precise. He moved like a ghost, navigating the unlit storage halls, ducking into an old janitor's wing. He stopped in front of a rusted utility panel.
Kiana watched as he ripped it open with force, revealing a dark passage behind it. "Seriously, you scouted all this before?"
"I've been planning escape routes since I enrolled," Aiden replied. "It's instinct."
"Creepy instinct," Kiana muttered, but smiled nonetheless.
They crawled through the narrow duct, emerging five minutes later into an alley behind the school perimeter.
The rain greeted them instantly, falling heavy and cold.
But something else did too.
Growls. Low and twisted.
A dozen Honkai-infected zombies rounded the far corner, staggering into the light of a broken street lamp.
Kiana cracked her neck. "Oh, come on. Not even five minutes of peace?"
Aiden drew his katana. "Protect Mei. I'll clear the way."
"No need to play hero alone," Kiana said, spinning her stun baton with a grin. "Let the mighty Kiana Kaslana show you how it's done!"
She charged first, her movements wild and enthusiastic.
She knocked one zombie clean into a trash bin with a flying kick. "Eat metal, stink-face!"
Another lunged. She ducked, rolled, and came up swinging. "I could do this blindfolded!"
"You say that every time," Aiden muttered, dashing into the fray with brutal elegance.
His blade glinted in the rain, slicing with precision. One stroke — two infected down. He moved like a storm in human form.
Mei stayed behind, conjuring a weak electric pulse, not yet fully recovered from her awakening.
But then, the real threat came.
A hulking mutated zombie burst through a side wall, its claws metallic, eyes glowing with unstable Honkai energy.
It swung.
Aiden tried to block, but the sheer force sent him crashing into a metal dumpster.
"AIDEN!" Mei cried.
He groaned, standing slowly. Blood dripped from his mouth. His ribs felt cracked.
"Reverse Curse Technique—" he whispered.
He tried to focus his cursed energy inward.
Nothing.
His breathing was too ragged. His vision blurred.
The monster advanced.
Then—
Blue.
He released Infinity's "Blue" form in a single pulse.
A tidal wave of spatial rejection exploded around him. Zombies were thrown into walls, concrete cracked under the pressure, and the hulking variant screeched as it was slammed backward by invisible force.
Kiana staggered back. "HOLY—now that was cool!"
Rain twisted unnaturally around Aiden, caught in the distorted gravity.
He stood in the center of the carnage, blade still humming, glowing with raw power.
"Let's move," he rasped.
---
Forest Path – Aiden's Safehouse
They ran until the school lights were distant dots behind them. Through thick trees and broken paths, they reached it — a small, wooden house nestled between towering bamboo.
"This… yours?" Mei asked.
"Safehouse. No records. No trail."
Inside, it was spartan. Tatami mats, a low table, books stacked neatly on one side. Everything was clean, meticulous. Aiden closed the door and bolted it.
Kiana flopped onto the floor, groaning. "I swear my knees are 85 years old after that vent."
Aiden staggered to the bathroom, clutching his ribs.
Mei quietly explored the kitchen. Her eyes landed on a half-filled jar of curry powder.
She smiled.
"I'll cook," she said softly.
---
Later That Night
The scent of curry filled the house like warmth itself.
Aiden sat against the wall, still recovering, when Mei handed him a bowl.
His eyes widened. "...You made curry?"
She nodded.
He took one bite.
Silence.
Then: "Perfect."
Mei flushed slightly and sat beside him.
"I remembered you liked it," she said.
Kiana crawled over, bowl in hand, already halfway finished. "Mei. This is divine. Will you marry me?"
Mei blinked. "What?"
Kiana clutched her hands dramatically. "Marry me and make me curry forever!"
Mei blushed, looking away. "You're ridiculous."
"Ridiculously in love—with this food," Kiana winked, stuffing another spoonful into her mouth.
Aiden chuckled. Mei stole a quick glance at him. Their eyes met.
She looked away, cheeks red.
---
Bathroom
Later, Mei stepped into the bathroom, towel in hand. The shower steamed the mirror.
She paused when she saw the shampoo bottle on the sink.
Black hair coloring. Half-used.
Her eyes narrowed.
"His hair… isn't black?"
She thought back. The rooftop. When Aiden fought her Herrscher form — strands of his hair, wet with sweat, revealing a faint silver hue underneath.
White. Just like Kiana —
She traced the bottle with her finger.
"Who are you really, Aiden?" she whispered.
---
Outside – Rooftop Surveillance
Far above the forest, an aircraft hovered silently, cloaked in clouds.
Inside the Hyperion, Himeko stared at a monitor.
She watched grainy footage of the fight. Aiden's spatial rejection. His blade. His unnatural movement.
"What are you?" she murmured.
Behind her, her subordinate spoke. "We've confirmed Honkai concentration is rising again. Something is stirring."
"Keep our course," Himeko said. "Prepare for deployment."
---
Meanwhile – Me corp: chamber
Cocolia's eyes flickered as she watched a screen showing Kiana and Aiden's escape with Mei.
"Those two... troublesome," she muttered.
Behind her, shadowed figures stirred.
"Let them run. For now. But tell our agents... To search for them, with every corner of this place. I expect a good result by tomorrow. "
A grainy photo of Kiana and Aiden flickered on screen as the two beat one infected after another.
Cocolia smiled coldly.
"The game has just begun."
---