"But speaking of which, it was the Class Monitor who stopped Kiana's suicide? Why wasn't it one of us?" Raiden Mei asked, perplexed.
Could it be that, at that time, they were no longer by Kiana's side?
Before Mei could think any further, an image had already flickered to life before them.
On the screen was a city shrouded in the veil of night.
Flourishing neon lights glittered all around, and not far away, a street vendor was hawking snacks that smelled absolutely delicious. Everything seemed so lively and prosperous.
And on the other side of this prosperity, in an alley unnoticed by anyone, a white-haired girl was stumbling forward.
Her steps were faltering, her eyes filled with confusion. She didn't seem to know where she was going, as if in this vast city, there was not a single place for her to rest her feet.
She just walked and walked, aimlessly moving forward, her figure gradually disappearing into the dark, deep alleyway.
Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she could no longer hold herself up, collapsing to the ground.
And in her mind, a voice suddenly sounded.
"Kiana, your body is about to give out. You must find a place to rest properly. You can't use any more Honkai energy."
Although the voice was calm, the concern within it could not be concealed.
However, Kiana acted as if she hadn't heard a thing. She bit her lip and struggled to get back to her feet.
"Kiana!"
The voice became more urgent, seemingly anxious about Kiana's stubbornness.
"Shut up! I... I don't need your hypocritical pity!"
"Kiana... sigh..."
After being shouted at by Kiana, the voice sighed and then faded away.
Kiana gasped for air, her vision blurring. The pain in her body and the blow to her spirit felt like shackles she had to carry at all times, so heavy they nearly suffocated her.
Gradually, illusions appeared before her eyes—scenes from her past at St. Freya High School.
She remembered the first lesson Himeko ever taught her. Back then, she was young and arrogant, thinking herself all-powerful and looking down on everyone. But when she challenged Himeko, she had used every trick she knew and couldn't even touch a single hair on her teacher's head.
She also remembered what Himeko had told her. She said, if one day, your comrade loses control to Honkai energy, you must end her life without hesitation, even if that comrade was Himeko herself.
But when Kiana had said, "If I lose control, Auntie Himeko, you have to kill me too," Himeko had replied:
"I won't let that happen."
Tears instantly streamed from Kiana's eyes. That figure seemed to appear before her once more—the woman with the greatsword, her hair disheveled, her body covered in wounds.
"Teacher Himeko, you said that if a comrade loses their mind and is controlled by the Honkai, we must end their life immediately... But why, why did you..."
Kiana's voice was completely choked with sobs. She would never forget that day in the Imaginary Space. The one who should have died was her, but Himeko had injected the life-saving serum into her instead. To the very end, she had looked at Kiana with a smile before falling into the endless abyss...
"Ugh... Ah!"
Just then, a sharp pain shot through Kiana's body. She let out an uncontrollable, agonized scream as a powerful surge of Honkai energy erupted from her, destroying everything in the vicinity!
"Humans always make the same mistake. Sacrificing themselves to save others, but she never imagined that her sacrifice would leave a wound in your heart that could never heal. A... crack for me to return."
Accompanied by an ethereal female voice, the phantom of a girl with flowing white hair, a slight resemblance to Kiana, but with piercing yellow eyes, appeared before her.
"This is why you can never escape from me."
"Every moment of distraction, every painful memory, will only grant me more power, allowing me to turn every place you stay into a ruin."
"Give up. Give your body to me. That way, perhaps you won't have to continue suffering like this."
"After all, I am you, Kiana."
"Shut up!"
Kiana clutched her head, her eyes bloodshot. She looked at the ruined surroundings, and endless pain and guilt swept over her heart like a tidal wave. Her entire being was filled with despair.
It's true. No matter where I go, I only bring pain and trouble to others.
If that's the case...
"I... will never let you have your way!"
Kiana roared in a low voice, as if to vent all her emotions. She violently drew the pistol from her waist, aimed the muzzle at her own chin, and placed her finger on the trigger.
With a slight twitch of her finger, a bullet would rip through her skull, and the Herrscher of the Void would disappear forever!
"Now is not the time for despair, Kiana."
At that critical moment, several glowing feathers drifted down. An ethereal figure appeared behind Kiana, reaching out and grasping the barrel of the gun.
Fu Hua looked at Kiana with pity, her voice incredibly gentle, as if she were afraid that speaking any louder might startle her.
"Because... I am here."
Crystalline tears streamed down Kiana's cheeks. Hearing Fu Hua's voice, for the first time, she felt no annoyance, only warmth.
In this abyss of despair, the hand Fu Hua extended was a ray of bright light, bringing a touch of warmth to a heart that had been on the verge of complete hopelessness.
The video ended there, but for a long time afterward, the group remained stunned and speechless.
The amount of information revealed in the video was simply too much, and too shocking.
Before this, they could never have imagined that Kiana—who was always so carefree, who seemed to face everything with a smile—could become so hopeless and desperate.
And who was that girl who looked so similar to Kiana? From her words, it seemed she wanted to possess Kiana's body. Could that be the Herrscher's consciousness?
And why had Fu Hua become like that? What happened to Himeko?
All of it, the sheer volume of information was overwhelming. Even Bronya needed a considerable amount of time to slowly process it all.
"...Kiana, you've really suffered."
Theresa looked at Kiana, her eyes filled with heartache.
She didn't know what had happened to turn the Kiana in the video into that state.
But just the thought that Kiana might become like that in the future made her heart ache with unbearable pain.