The day before the storm.
In a small, quiet town not far from the Oceania Branch, the warm lights of a local bar cut through the evening gloom. The air smelled of cheap beer, wood polish, and sizzling grease.
A figure shrouded in a heavy, dark cloak stood at the counter, their face completely hidden in shadow.
"I'll have... the family-sized fried chicken bucket, an extra-large order of fries, and... yeah, give me the double cheeseburger too," a muffled female voice said.
The bartender raised an eyebrow at the sheer volume of the order but shrugged and started filling the tray.
With the mountain of food secured, the cloaked figure navigated to the darkest, most secluded booth in the corner, far from the entrance. She set the tray down with a soft thud and sank into the worn leather seat with a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to dig in, the bar door swung open with a jingle.
A man with scruffy white hair and a tired, world-weary look on his face stumbled in. He was already shouting into his phone.
The cloaked figure froze, her hand hovering over a piece of chicken.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here, Tesla! Don't get your lab coat in a twist!" the man grumbled into the phone. "What do you mean, Cocolia's at it again? That crazy woman never learns, does she?"
The figure in the corner pulled her hood down even further, trying to melt into the shadows.
Siegfried Kaslana leaned against the bar counter, running a hand through his messy hair. "Might stunt like Nagazora? I swear... huh Look, Einstein, I just got here. I'm starving. Let me eat first! I can't think on an empty stomach. I'll read your damn report after a beer and some chicken."
He slammed the phone down, ending the call, and ordered a drink.
In the corner, the cloaked figure let out a shaky breath. She was torn between the urgent need to flee and the glorious, golden-brown fried chicken sitting in front of her.
The chicken won.
CRUNCH!
She tore into a drumstick with a ferocity that suggested she hadn't had a decent meal in ages. Grease and sauce quickly smeared her face, but she didn't care.
"Mmmph... this is heaven," she mumbled through a mouthful of food, her eyes closed in pure bliss.
This was freedom. Mei-senpai would have a fit if she saw her eating like this. "It's too unhealthy, Kiana!" she'd say. And that idiot Mo Wang... he would have definitely stolen this piece right off her plate.
Lost in her happy memories and the delicious taste of junk food, she didn't notice that her hood had slipped back, revealing a cascade of brilliant, snow-white hair that seemed to shimmer under the dim bar lights.
Siegfried took a long gulp of his beer and scanned the room out of habit. His eyes swept past the few locals, the bartender... and then stopped.
They locked onto the corner booth.
White hair...?
It was a rare color. Almost a family signature. Far too rare to be a coincidence, especially out here in the middle of nowhere.
His tired, annoyed expression sharpened into one of keen suspicion.
His eyes narrowed.
A Kaslana?
Siegfried downed the last of his beer in one long swallow, slamming the mug back onto the counter.
To hell with it.
He was a fugitive, yes. Schicksal wanted his head on a platter. But this was one girl, lost in a pile of fried chicken. He wasn't so weak that he couldn't handle a simple conversation.
The chance to find another Kaslana, to get any piece of information about what was left of his clan... it was worth the risk.
He pushed himself off the barstool and started walking towards the corner booth.
The girl didn't even notice him. The only sounds from her table were the crunch of fried chicken and the occasional happy sigh. She was completely in her own little world of greasy bliss.
He reached the table, casting a shadow over her meal. He cleared his throat.
"Excuse me, I just wanted to ask—"
She looked up, a half-eaten chicken wing in one hand, her face smeared with barbecue sauce. Her blue eyes widened.
Siegfried's words died in his throat. His entire world ground to a halt.
He knew that face better than his own.
Kiana.
His daughter.
His mind short-circuited. A thousand thoughts crashed into each other at once.
Impossible! Kiana is at St. Freya! Slacking off and failing her exams! The report was from three days ago!
Is this a clone? An illusion? One of Otto's sick tricks?!
He looked closer, and the confusion only deepened. It was Kiana, but... not. She looked older. Taller. Her figure was... more developed. Curvier.
For a heart-stopping moment, she reminded him so much of Cecilia it made his chest ache. But the photos he'd seen from St. Freya showed a scrawny kid.
That was days ago! Did she grow like a damn bamboo shoot?!
But then, one thought, one terrible memory, burned through the fog of confusion. A promise he had made to himself, a rule he could never, ever break.
Stay away from her.
His presence was a trigger. A catalyst. Being near her could awaken the ticking time bomb inside her soul—the Herrscher of the Void.
Every other question—how, why, who—vanished. They didn't matter. All that mattered was the danger he represented just by breathing the same air as her.
Panic seized him. He had to run.
whatever she Kiana or some trap is later problem, if she Kiana he will have time bomb in his hand, if not then he not gotten trapped by Otto, so run first!
Without another word, he spun around and made a desperate dash for the door.
He didn't even take two steps.
A foot shot out from under the table with practiced ease, hooking his ankle perfectly.
Siegfried's world tilted as he stumbled, crashing down to one knee with a loud thud. He looked back, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fear.
The girl—this impossible Kiana—was calmly wiping her mouth with a napkin. The surprise was gone from her face, replaced by a sly, predatory grin that sent a chill down his spine.
She leaned forward, her voice a low, dangerous purr that was both familiar and terrifyingly new.
"Running so soon... stinky father~?"